Kinda Amazing
by Pyocola Analogue III
Summary: AU When Soul Evans life goes right down the crapper, he is forced to become a server at a popular restaurant. Will Soul be able to handle the customers, the sidework, and the bossy yet somewhat hot daughter of his new boss all at the same? SoMa
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter One: Unchartered Territory

There was a soft creak as he pushed open the door of his dingy apartment. There was very little light in the room; the windows were very dirty and he could only afford one lamp to light the whole apartment at current. He saw a mass huddled up on the musty old futon and sighed, knowing all too well it was his mother. There were also a few bottles of pills left spilled over on the tiny table that sat near the futon; the table functioned as a coffee table, a dinner table, and a desk when needed. "Soul? Soul, darling, are you there?" He heard her usually bubbly voice rasp out meekly.

Life hadn't been very fair to Soul Evans lately.

His father had passed on about four months ago because of a heart attack. His family was once on the top of society, the elite of the elite, but after his passing a few secrets about William Evans were pushed to the surface; for one, he had a small gambling addiction. He owed tons of money and now, with Willie unable to afford those expenses, they fell on the young shoulders of his two sons.

Well, one of them anyway.

Wes Evans, Soul's older brother, had turned tail and disappeared after the funeral. He had heard lots of rumors and received only one letter from his brother. Wes claimed that he had met a woman of bountiful beautiful and unrivalled heart that he was going to travel the world with. And that was all Soul really knew.

So Soul had been forced to sell everything the family owned (since their so-called friends out right refused to help the family battle down the large debt) to try and get some of the weight off his back. Now they lived in this crappy place, paying about three hundred a month for just the bare essentials, and his mother was trying to fight off depression; she was on medication but her son was dubious that it was really doing its job.

He was currently thinking about putting her in a treatment facility, but he didn't have the money for that; it didn't help that his job hunt wasn't exactly working out either. He was honestly amazed that not many people wanted him. Sure, he hadn't really had a job before (Think about it; you wouldn't work if you could just live on your parent's tab and all for free) but that didn't mean he wouldn't work hard. As soon as people heard his last name, however, they would seem less interested in his skills and more about what was just idle gossip and what was true.

"Yes, Mother, I'm here. I just went and picked up a little food for us," He said softly, setting his bag of take out down on the table. It was from a cheap Chinese joint just down the street from his abode. "Here, you need to get something other than just the pills in your stomach. It's not healthy to take those things without a meal." He said, fishing out a box of orange chicken for his mother. He set it before her with a pair of chopsticks and smaller container of rice. He had gotten her something he remembered she was fond of in hopes of convincing her to eat that way.

"Oh, thank you baby," She cooed softly, flopping over on the couch. One of her hands slipped out from the blanket, just swaying near the carpet. Her visible skin looked almost yellow in the poor lighting and Soul's heart almost leapt into his throat. "My… My tummy s a little upset right now so I'm… I'm gonna let it settle for a little it before I eat. Okay?" She asked gently.

He sighed. _'Figures. She's going to kill herself if I don't her some professional help,'_ He thought bitterly as he opened his own container. He smiled a little at the sight of the broccoli and beef, using his own chopsticks to shove a mouthful down his gullet.

"I'm sorry Soul," She groaned softly. He perked up and looked at her arm curiously (given it was the only part of her visible). "But soon Wes will be home and he'll be able to help you. And soon enough I'll feel better and we can get back on top." She murmured lightly.

His shoulders tensed slightly at this. _'Wes isn't going to come back; he's smarter than that,'_ He thought angrily. He swallowed hard and shoved another large chunk of food into his mouth. _'He knows that there's nothing left for him here. He's probably setting things up for himself somewhere. That's why he left; getting a stable position somewhere here in Death City won't be possible with all the rumors being spread; in another country the word won't hit them until he's been there a while. And then, it'll be too late for them to fire him without having to worry about lawsuits.'_

"Everything is going to be okay, darling," She grumbled, a small undertone of hope in her voice. Soul stayed quietly, making sure to plow through his food as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand the thought of being here any longer, watching his mother drift in and out of thoughts due to her meds, and needed to get out; he couldn't really afford anything but he could surely go walk and clear his head.

"I'm going out for a little bit, okay, Mom?" He said, standing and tossing his empty food cartons in the large brown bag. His mother's hand lifted toward him and, because he couldn't just brush her off like that, he reached back and gave it a little squeeze. "I'll be home a little later. Get some rest and, if you're up to it, try and eat a little of your food before it gets too cold."

"Okay baby. Be careful and enjoy your walk," She said with a small giggle. He could just see the hazy glint that would be in those tired red orbs, the droopy smile that would somehow twitch itself to life. It made his stomach churn and guilt eat away at him. Sure, he hadn't known about his father's gambling either, but why couldn't he just find a way to make things better now? Why was getting a job so damn hard for him?

Soul headed out quickly, forcing his own bitterness down his throat.

…

There were a few beams of bright sunlight streaming in through an open window, jarring him from his sleep. Soul let out a groan, fingers combing through his silver tinted spikes, before he sat up and stretched. He looked around curiously and then froze when he realized that he wasn't at home.

The fact that these walls seemed to have fresh lavender paint on the walls instead of the holed and grey walls of his own home were the biggest hint of all.

He looked down and saw that he was actually in nothing but his blue and white striped boxers. Panic gripped at him as he got up and looked around, unable to locate his clothes. He remembered that last night (against his better judgment) he had used some of his money to get shitfaced. He just wanted to forget everything and liquor seemed to be his best bet. He looked to the floor and paled considerably; he saw a pink tank top, a pair of denim shorts, a black and red spotted bra with red ruffles on the rims and matching panties not far away. _'Did… Did I end up getting laid?'_ He thought fearfully.

He heard the sound of a shower being turned off and darted over to where he thought he heard it from.

He waited a moment or two, hoping that whoever was on the other side of the door would be decent, before throwing it open. He was actually sort of surprised that the door was unlocked but then realized that, if his theory was correct, the girl had nothing to hide from him. He was greeted by a curiously pair of jade orbs fixed on him.

The girl before him was cute and currently in nothing but a fluffy orange and blue checkered towel. Her hair was long, dripping over her bare shoulder, and a light brown, dark blonde due to it being wet. He assumed that, after drying, it would more resemble a honey-like tone. Her skin was a peach tone, implying that she was a bit more of a fan of inside but still did go out now and again. "Hey," She said patiently before turning to the bathroom sink. As if a stranger standing in her doorway while she had nothing but a towel guarding her goodies was a typical occurrence for her.

He blinked a few times as well. "Uh… Hi," He said cautiously, responding as such most likely because of how casual the young woman was being about this whole situation. She calmly filled a nearby cup with water and picked up a purple toothbrush. She then began rummaging through a drawer, her towel held up because it was tucked in. "So… Um…"

"My name's Maka Albarn, by the way," She said, holding out her hand to him while holding a tube of mint toothpaste in one hand. He reached out and shook her hand slowly. She then turned her attention back to the sink, putting toothpaste on the toothbrush and setting to scrubbing her teeth calmly.

"So… Uh, Maka… Did we have sex last night?" He blurted out, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. When the hell had he become so damn graceless? It was properly since he became friends with that kid Black*Star three years ago. Ever since they started talking, Soul felt more like being honest and straight forward when he spoke.

She paused, her mouth frothy from the paste, and looked at him slowly. She then started laughing, removing the toothbrush so as not to choke on it. Her free hand landed on the edge of the counter and she spat toothpaste into the sink. "No, we didn't. Didn't your boxers sort of give that much away to you?" She asked before resuming her brushing.

"Well, I thought that maybe you were trying to maintain our modesty," He said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. She looked at him blandly through the mirror and he took the hint. "Yeah, I know; if we had sex without knowing each other than we don't really have that much modesty to protect but still. I've never been involved in a one night stand so I don't know the exact protocol." He said, trying quickly to validate his theory in her eyes.

She calmly rinsed off her toothbrush while swishing some water from the cup around in her mouth. She spat out in the sink and set the toothbrush back where it belonged. "Considering that I let you sleep in my bed, which isn't quite clean right now, I wasn't too worried about modesty. And, to be honest, you didn't have any modesty left after what I saw you do last night either," She shrugged calmly. She then opened another drawer and pulled out an unopened package for a bright yellow toothbrush. "You can use the shower; we still have more than enough warm water for you to use. Also, you can use this toothbrush to take care of that with. Your clothes are in the dryer right now but they should be done in five more minutes or so; I'll fold them and set them in here for you. There are towels right in that cabinet." She said, pointing to a brown wicker cabinet above the toilet. He followed her indication and then turned back to her.

"Why did you wash my clothes? And do you have a surplus of brand new toothbrushes for a reason?" Soul asked skeptically. Rather than answer, the girl pulled a hair brush and a red headband with a black rose on the top of it from another of the many drawers of the sink cabinet. She paused once she was standing beside him, moving to the side a bit more to get past him a little easier.

"You threw up all over yourself last night; rather than wake up in your own filth I decided to leave you in a clean, comfy bed until your clothes could be washed. Hope you don't mind," She grinned impishly, her perfect teeth glinting at him when he blushed at the words. She then turned back around, tossing a few of her damp locks over her shoulder in the process. "And my Papa tends to bring his drinking buddies home with him very rarely; he only brings the ones that can handle more than him home to celebrate. You're just one of the lucky few who happened by when I had a spare on hand."

And with that much ease, she shut the door and left Soul to enjoy a nice hot shower.

…

'_My hangover is either so terrible I don't realize it's a hangover,'_ Soul thought as he slipped on his dark blue jeans, _'or I am a lot better at handling my liquor than I thought.'_ He then yanked on his long sleeved blue shirt and sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. There weren't any bags under his crimson orbs, his skin was just as tanned as before he'd gone out, and his hair was now fresh, clean and a little wet. There weren't any of the typical outwards signs of a hangover and he wasn't ill or have a headache. After he finished his once over, he decided to head out and explore Maka's home.

He left the bathroom calmly and heard a soft sizzling noise coming from the other room. The bedroom door was opened and the dirty clothes were no longer littering the floor. He spotted a tall white hamper in the corner, next to a mahogany desk covered with books, journals, writing utensils and a laptop that was currently shut off. When the delightful scent of bacon filled his senses he abandoned his once over of the room; he hadn't had bacon in forever!

He hadn't had anything outside of cheap Chinese and omelets in a while, admittedly, but that just aided in his excitement.

He headed out and saw that Maka's abode was a pretty nice little apartment. It had a decently large living room with a black leather couch and matching black entertainment center against opposing walls. On the same wall as the entertainment center was another door that lead to, what Soul assumed, was a second room. By the front door was a small wooden rack for shoes (he saw his own set beside themselves there as well) and a large sliding glass door that was currently open, letting the morning breeze and cheeps of the birds slip inside. There was a small kitchen area where he saw Maka (now fully dressed) at the stove making the meaty concoction he'd smelt moments before. At the table were three plates, three glasses and three sets of silverware set on some placeholders. In the center of the table was a larger plate with tons of warm pancakes on, a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of hash browns and even a platter of tasty looking sausage. There was also pepper, ketchup, maple syrup, a carton of milk and a jug of orange juice there as well. "Wow," Soul gaped without realizing.

"Good, you're all clean and ready for breakfast!" Maka beamed happily, peering up briefly from the frying pan in front of her. She then turned back to it and calmly moved it, depositing the food to another plate and turning off the stove. She then walked over to the sink and ran cold water on the hot utensil, not even flinching when it hissed in protest. She left it there and picked up the plate with quite a bit of bacon on it, heading to the table. "Papa, time for breakfast!" She called out.

The door creaked open and out walked a man Soul vaguely remembered seeing at the bar that evening, right before his memories started to get a little fuzzy. He had red hair that was cut to his shoulders, curving in a bit until a small fringing at the ends where it reached his shoulders. One of his bangs fell against his forehead, trailing down between his eyes and against his nose. His eyes were sapphire tinted and gleamed merrily as he walked out. He was wearing a long sleeved white Oxford collar shirt and black slacks. "Thank you for making such a wonderful meal, Maka-Chan! Today is going to be very hard for Papa!"He declared, heading over and giving the young girl a kiss on the forehead.

Lack of family resemblance made Soul wonder if they really were related. He was then again distracted by bacon.

The blonde haired girl set the bacon down and giggled lightly. Soul took this chance to assess her as well. Her hair was combed back and held in place by the headband she'd grabbed earlier. The rose on the top was actually tilted slightly to the left, giving a bit of a cute effect to it. Her face was free of make-up (which he thought odd, since she appeared to be close to his age and all the girls he knew wore make-up) and her clothes were rather basic. She had tossed on a long sleeved white blouse and a pink skirt. She had tied a white sash around her waist to do with the skirt instead of a belt and he had to admit it did look better somehow. He also noted that she wasn't the most curved girl he'd seen, but she did have a petite little form that he just had a hunch worked perfectly for her. "Well, you do need to get together with Miss Marie today and check out the finances on the restaurant; you've never been very good with that stuff. Remember to call me if you need help at all, okay?" She asked delicately as she sat down. She then looked at Soul. "You can start eating; drooling isn't going to help you fill your belly up any." She teased lightly. He blushed and wiped at his mouth, horrified when his sleeve came back damp.

Drooling in front of a cute girl? So not cool.

"Thanks," He said shyly. The two smiled back and began fixing their own plates as well. After a few moments of comfortable silence (which Soul really wasn't used to since every silence before this point in his life had felt like a heavy under toe dragging him down) he peered up at the pair of them. "So do you own a restaurant or something like that?" He asked interestedly.

"Why, yes we do," Maka's father said cheerfully. He was glowing with pride, glancing at his daughter and then back at Soul. "Have you ever heard of Ace of Hearts?"

Soul twitched and his eyes widened. Ace of Hearts was one of the most popular restaurants in Death City; he had never been personally but he always wanted to. When his family was well-off they said the place was beneath them and now, living in squalor, they were too far beneath the eatery to visit. Not only that, but Black*Star worked there too. The other male was always bragging about how he was the top server and always got employee of the month. "Yeah, I have. Are you hiring, by chance?" Soul asked nervously, swallowing hard.

"Sure. Do you have any references or experience?" Maka asked curiously, her tone and manner become more business-like.

"I don't have any work experience but my friend Black*Star works there. He's one of your best waiters," He said. He decided not to say "the best" for fear that speaking too highly of the other would end up being a bad thing. Maka stared at him with a skeptical frown and raised eyebrow.

"Black*Star isn't a server; he's a busboy," She answered blandly. Her father made a small grunting noise as he swallowed. "Did he tell you that load of bull?"

"Yeah… I guess I should have known better than to believe him," Soul mumbled with a heavy sigh. He looked down at his plate before looking back up, his eyes sparking to life. "But I need this job. I may not have worked before but I am willing to learn and work my ass off! I… If I can't find a job, like, today, I don't know if I'll be able to afford food and rent and everything I need." He confessed shakily.

Maka looked over at her face, who feed her a pleading look. Ever since she was a child, Maka had been taught to help the weak and down-trodden. Her father always told her that the people who are in the harshest conditions are the ones who will work the hardest, who will make you glad you put your faith in them. They had built an entire business out of helping people to help themselves; almost all their employees needed their job so badly they'd do what was necessary and sometimes even more. "Well… We don't need any more people in dish, grill, prep, retail or hosting," She said, glancing sideways at the silver haired teen. She saw his eyes widening with a strange mix of terror and hope. "We did, however, just have two servers quit. One was a morning server and one was an evening server. Would you be willing to work doubles(1) on a few days?"

"I'll work doubles everyday of the week if I have to!" Soul declared sternly. He didn't know what the hell a double was but to him it meant more money. Maka perked up,a bit surprised by the response, before she smiled and nodded.

"Okay then; we're closed today so that we can take care of all our paperwork and such, but I'll give you a test run before I make a final decision. Come in to the restaurant tomorrow at eleven o'clock in the morning on the dot; wear a long sleeved button up shirt, in black, white or red preferably with a pair of good slacks and all-black shoes. I'll get you set up with an apron," She said with a small nod. She then tilted her head at him curiously. "What's your name, by the way?"

And, for fear that his last name would again ruin everything, Soul let the first name he thought of pop out: "I'm Soul Eater."

End

(1) Double – "Working a double" is a term used in restaurants; it's basically where someone works two eight hour shifts on top of each other on the same day. I work at a restaurant (hostessing) and I hear that term a lot in regards to servers.

Notes before I go pass out in a hole:

Crappy first chapter is crappy.

Usually Soul gets to be the one from the privileged upbringing while Maka's living in Crap-City; I felt like showing it slightly reversed.

Maka is probably really OOC in the bathroom scene but… To be honest, I just think it'd be hilarious if that happened to them. And I hope, if you found it worth it, you can excuse that little bit of OOC-ness from me.

Tell me what out think in your reviews! In a drinking contest, who would win; Soul or Spirit? (I think it'd be Stein, personally… Wait, Stein ain't a choice? Well… Damn."

Next Chapter:

Soul learns what the word "Server" really means; the hard way. Maka decides to test little rookie Soul the only way she knows how; by giving him a shit ton of tables. Tsubaki begins to wonder if her best friend is a sadist.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Two: First Day Panic Attack

Soul took a deep breath as he stood at the entrance of Ace of Hearts. He had, luckily enough, kept a few of his nicer clothes during the move. Anything that would sell for a good chunk of change was sold; he kept a few things because he remembered being told that common people usually had to dress nicely for things like job interviews. Black*Star had helped him learn a little bit (though he reined himself in as he realized that Black*Star was far from being considered the norm) so he was now dressed as Maka instructed. He had decided to go with red and black, as they seemed to be the best looking on him. He had on the slacks she had mentioned, tossed on a belt just to get the loops of the slacks covered, and had the non-slip shoes. He had actually had to borrow the shoes from Black*Star, who had an extra pair he could borrow until he could afford to buy his own pairs.

With his courage gathered, Soul grabbed the door and stepped inside. He was a little stunned to be greeted to a large vacant space with people mulling about. To one corner was a counter with little racks and stations with things like candies, mints, gums, cigars and even little knick-knacks lined along the selves. There were four registers set up, with a young man stationed at one of them. He had gleaming golden eyes, a certain look to them reminding Soul distinctly of a cat. His hair was cut short, going to a bit above his shoulders, and was an inky black with three lines on only the left side of his head. The young man was wearing a black shirt with a white apron tossed over it. Embroidered in gold was "Kid" and two red hearts were resting above his name.

"Rawr! And then the giraffe kicked the lion **right in the face**!" Another voice cheered happily. He perked up and looked over to one corner and saw another person entertaining a group of four or five kids. All the children seemed amused over her little story. Their adult caretaker was a perky girl with short blonde hair that was cut to a little below her chin and was a bright yellow tint. It reminded Soul vaguely of sunflowers he used to pick for his mother in his youth. She was wearing a short sleeved red top with a white apron like the boy at the register on. She also had a pair of black slacks and black shoes on, completing the uniform. Her apron had the name "Patty" embroidered in gold and had one red heart stitched above it.

"Can I help you?" The male, Kid as his apron dictated, asked flatly. Soul tore his gaze from the rather bizarre blonde and to the young cashier instead. He walked over calmly. "I repeat, can I help you?" His tone remained just as bland, though now there was a small note of annoyance to it.

"Maka Albarn asked me to come in. She was going to give me a serving job," He explained calmly, forcing the guys tone to not get to him. He didn't want to instigate a fight with a current employee and ruin his own chances here.

"Ah, I assume you're Mister Soul Eater?" He asked, his tone become less rude and more intrigued. The albino merely nodded in response. "Stay here." He said, holding up a hand. He walked to the end of the counter and looked at a nearby podium. "Tsubaki, would you mind getting Maka?"

The girl at the podium had ebony hair that sparkled like black opals tied up in a high ponytail and deep blue eyes that twinkled cheerfully like sapphires. She was wearing the same uniform as the other two with a few differences; her shirt was white and short sleeved and her apron was red. Her name was also stitched on in gold and she had three red hearts above it. Soul also noted that she had a milky complexion. "Of course, Kid," She said politely. She scribbled something down on a notepad on her podium before smiling at Soul. "I'll be right back Maka for you." She hummed before disappearing into the entryway between the cash counter and her podium. Soul knew that it lead to the restaurant and, most likely as well, the back where Maka would undoubtedly be.

"Thank you," Soul said politely to the cashier. He shrugged calmly and leaned over, looking down at the candies and such that were organized.

"Hey, do these look symmetrical to you?" Kid asked, pointing to where he was looking. Soul raised an eyebrow and glanced down as well. He wasn't too sure but he assumed he may as well humor the poor guy.

"Looks all good to me," He said casually.

"Does… Does it just look good?"

"… Excuse me?"

"It's a simple question; does it look just good or does it look perfect?" The tone the other male's voice was beginning to take on was making Soul feel just a smidge uncomfortable. "Why won't you answer me?"

"Kid, please stop hassling our new guest about the candies; they are absolutely perfect, just like they always are when you're on duty," At the sounds of Maka's voice, a wave of relief rushed through Soul. He glanced up and saw her, a clipboard and dry erase marker in a hue of black in one hand. Her hair was slicked back in a low ponytail. She was dressed identically to Tsubaki but her apron had four red hearts and one in gold on it for a total of five hearts. After Kid nodded and returned to his perfect perch, a look of contentment and bliss on his face, the young girl turned her attention to Soul and smiled. "Glad you could make it; plus you're right on time too! Just let me finish fixing up the new floor plan and I'll get you all situated, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," He mumbled lightly. She smiled and nodded, heading over to the platform with Tsubaki. She set her clipboard down and the two poured over a list together, drawing this that and the other.

"Okay, so we'll have Ox and Kilik in the first dining room since they both work from now until closing. In the second we'll have Soul with the five tables; since he's new I'm going to put Liz in this section right below him. If he needs any help, he can go to her and she'll have no issues with it. And with the last two sections, just because we'll need that kind of support tonight, we'll have Kim and Jacqueline over here too. Now, I'm going to go get Soul caught up real fast and everything. While he's with me, make sure to either avoid sitting his section or have one of the others watch it until he gets back. You'll be following this rotation(1) until about eight o'clock or so and then, depending on business, I'll do a floor cut(2)," She explained calmly, pointing to various points on the laminated sheet she'd drawn on. Tsubaki nodded and smiled up at her. "Also, once I get him all settled in, I'll let you take your break and get something to eat, okay?" She grinned lightly.

"Thank you, Maka-Chan," Tsubaki giggled happily. The blonde smiled, nodded and turned to Soul.

"Okay, follow me Soul," She said calmly, tilting her head back. He did as she instructed and was lead past the two dining rooms. The two rooms were right next to one another with a black wooden screen up to show they were separate. The windows were hidden by black velvet curtains and the lights were at a nice, calming sort of glow; not too dim that you couldn't see but also not so bright that it was obnoxious. The tables were all dark wood with matching chairs; most of them were tables with four chairs but he did see a few smaller ones with two and even a few larger ones with six or seven chairs. She led him into a back area where there were tons of people making food, washing dishes and servers putting food on trays and hand them to one another. "That's going to be one of the tasks expected of you." She said politely, pointing to one server carrying a tray. "If you hear someone yell 'We need a runner' than offer to help. It's basically where you have to help another server run food to a table. There will be a ticket with the table number on it so if you lose track of the server you can still get the food to the right place."

"Table numbers?" He asked curiously. Maka blinked then nodded and pointed to a large board on one wall. There was a larger version of what the dining rooms looked like in a diagram form; the tables were in squares with numbers on them. The tables he remembered being smaller were, in fact, smaller on the diagram and the larger tables were longer in the diagram. He blinked a few more times, noting that in the front dining room the tables started in the one hundreds, while the second moved on to the start of the two hundreds. "How exactly does this system work?"

"It's easier to have all the tables represented by three digit numbers; easy to memorize and remember, you know?" She asked cheerfully. She pointed to the first table in the first dining room, number 111. "Plus it's easier to put it in without any zeros; that way no one gets the letter O and a zero mixed up. We'll also put the floor plan, or what server has what area, on this board as well so that if you forget you can check here rather than go ask the hostess." She explained. She then moved over to a small grey computer unit on a counter below the board. "This is the machine you use to clock in and put in orders. There are four of them spread out in this area. There's one in each vestibule, or little side area that we keep things like highchairs or boosters for small child, this one here and another one on the counter opposite the busing area over there." She pointed calmly. He glanced over and saw the matching grey box, a young man with strangely cut black hair using the touch screen to put in an order. "As well as clock in, clock out or put in an order, you can check the tips you've received from people playing with credit cards if things aren't too busy."

"Okay, seems easy enough to follow," He said. It was all a little confusing, but Soul figured he'd learn it all well enough as he went along. Maka had said this was a trial run, to see if he could handle the job, so he probably would be taught everything thoroughly after he earned the job.

Because Soul absolutely could not accept the thought of not getting this job.

"Anyway, I got an apron set for you. If we choose to keep you on I'll get you started on the computer work for you to get your first promotion. Then we can get you an apron with your name on it," She smiled happily. She then giggled. "Now, let's get you familiar with the software, get you clocked on, and then get you serving tables." She said, clapping her hands together as if shutting an invisible book.

…

The software wasn't as hard to learn as Soul had expected. He had never been very good at learning things, but for some reason he had always been a bit good with computers; it helped him get through his private academies, since he could just type everything and do class assignments at home later. After that, Maka had given him told him to put in the last four numbers of his social security number and that she'd verify it as his new log-in pass code. "If this all goes well, I'll bring you in tomorrow to fill out all the paperwork. I'll also get you started on those computer assignments to get you promoted," She had explained before sending him out to the dining room.

"So you're the new rookie?" A feminine tone asked with a bit of a laugh to it. He turned to be greeted by a dirty blonde whose hair was tugged back in a bun with a clip. She had cerulean spheres with a slight grey hue to them. She was wearing a red blouse with a black apron (like the one Maka had given him with a name tag clipped to it) only hers had her name, Liz, embroidered on it in gold like the other people he'd seen. She also had four hearts added on above her name. "Liz Thompson. Nice to meet you." She said, offering him her hand.

"Soul Eater," He said, taking her hand and shaking it. He noted she had pink nails but didn't say anything about it. "So, how hard is the job?" He asked curiously, watching as Maka talked happily with an elderly couple seated at one of the tables near the podium. He assumed they were regulars, with how familiar and comfortable they seemed.

"Well, most rookies like you don't make it past the first day," She commented casually. He tensed a bit and looked at her, a little flustered by that. "When Maka told us we had another trial subject coming in we started a betting pool. I've got a sweet fifty bucks on you making it; try to keep yourself together and show no weakness." She said bluntly.

"Yes, well, I've got two hundred that says he won't make it past his third table so I hope he flakes up," An annoyed tone of voice snapped lightly. The girl who walked over had coffee colored hair tied up in a bun like Liz and eyes to match. Her uniform was just like Liz's, only her own name, Jacqueline, was the one stitched on it. "The name's Jackie; call me Jacqueline and you'll regret it. Don't both telling me your name; you won't last long enough for me to need to remember it." She said blandly. Liz glared at the brunette, draping an arm over Soul's shoulders and leaning in, pulling him closer to herself and Jackie in the process.

"For your information, I see a certain spunk in this kid that shouldn't be doubted just yet," Liz bit out angrily. Jackie scoffed lightly and shook her head.

"It's called being cocky; lots of guys are like that," She said before walking off to the back. After she exited, Liz growled and released Soul.

"Where the hell is Kilik? I'm upping my ante on you to a whole four hundred big ones!" She declared before stomping off. Soul watched her go, eye twitching and entire form rigid, before sighing lightly and shaking his head. This was all a little crazy, wasn't it?

"Look alive; you're getting your first customer," Maka announced suddenly in his ear, causing him to jump. She giggled and pointed. He followed her finger and saw Tsubaki leading a cheerful looking young couple to a table at the top of the dining room. Soul had the top right six tables (in two rows of three) and Tsubaki was getting them situated at what he remembered as table number 211. He smiled and headed over, swallowing back his fear.

Maka, however, had something else in mind as she grabbed Tsubaki's arm on her way back.

"What's wrong, Maka-Chan?" Tsubaki asked worriedly, coming to a halt at the action. Emerald spheres were trapped on the albino currently chatting with the couple and jotting down their order. Tsubaki glanced over at him and then looked back at her boss. "Was there something you needed?"

"I want you to fill his section up as fast as you can," Maka said calmly. Azure eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Maka didn't even spare her a second glance. "If he can't handle having his section full than we have no use for him; we get hit in huge bursts where every server is full and gets refilled as fast as possible. So to assure he'll adjust to the slow times we have to be sure he can handle the fast times as well." She then released the girl's arm and smiled sweetly. "Once you get him filled up, I'll take over podium and give you your break. I'll get your meal started up; the usual right?" She then turned on her heels and walked away.

Tsubaki sighed heavily. "Oh, Maka-Chan, you are so cruel," She mumbled lightly while shaking her head. She just prayed that Soul would be able to keep his head above the water and not get dragged down by the sharks.

…

Soul felt like he'd had all his blood sucked out. Most of his customers had been okay but after having his section completely filled all day. He had been lucky enough to find a way to remember things without too much incident, really. He would pair a person's pitch of voice with the table number they were to assure he brought the right drinks and meals without mix ups. For example, soprano 212 wanted a Sprite and a slice of pineapple upside down cake. And now, he had been cut from the floor and was taking his break at long last. Maka had, of course, made him clean his tables before going back.

He had expecting having to deal with customers, but he hadn't anticipated the cleaning and such he'd be forced to do. Having to clean up after himself was a little foreign but cleaning up after complete strangers? Totally weird. "How did you do in tips today?" He knew Maka Albarn almost immediately just by voice now and all he could do was groan; his eyes were shut and his head was pressed against the cool counter in the backroom. "You know, the money they'd leave on the tables for you?"

"I know what tips are," He groaned as he sat up more in his chair. He pulled a wad from his apron pouch and placed it on the counter. "I was too busy to count it all out yet. Since you told me I don't calculate tips until I clock out I was waiting until I could feel my legs again."

She picked up the money and began counting for him, humming lightly. "I'm going to let you off the hook tonight; I won't make you do side work or roll silverware. Plus, since you made fifty dollars in your physical tips alone, I say you've done well enough to stay on," She beamed lightly. He jolted to life, eyes widening as she waved his money in his face. "Plus, I peaked ahead, and there's another forty from credits cards. You'll be going home with a little over ninety dollars on your first night; that's the best a new server has done in three years. So, you've made the cut; come in tomorrow at noon and we'll get the computer work started as well as your paperwork for being an employee. The new schedule gets updated every week on Monday, meaning tomorrow. I'll give you yours tomorrow. Also, your hours this week will be dedicated to training you more properly for your job." She beamed happily, pushing the bills into his hands.

"Hey, Maka, that order you put in is done!" Liz called as she peeked her head in. Maka nodded and headed out. The other blonde walked in and grinned at Soul. "So? What did she say?"

"I… I made ninety dollars just tonight… And I got the job," He whispered, slowly smiling as he realized what this all meant. He got the job! Things were going to be better; he had gotten a job! No more selling his clothes and belongings to make ends meet!

"Seriously?" Liz gasped. Then she smirked evilly and ran off. "Hell yeah! Jackie, you bitch, hand me that sweet two hundred you put in the lot! I was right! He got the job!" She cheered as she ran away.

Maka entered, carrying a large tray with a small scowl on her face. "Liz is so weird," She mumbled before setting the tray down in front of Soul. It was a plate with three slices of grilled rainbow trout, a serving of macaroni and cheese, a baked potato, three large biscuits and a tall glass of what appeared to be sweet tea.

"I can't afford this," Soul said with a gulp, swallowing back the saliva gathering in his mouth. The girl smiled and leaned over, pushing the set of silverware into his free hand (since the other was still curled around the bills of his tips).

"You get a free meal when you work a eight hours or more. So eat up and get ready; you're gonna hit the ground running," She beamed before heading off. He watched her go and, once sure he was alone, started scarfing down his meal as fast as he could.

End

(1) Rotation: it's a system we implement at my work. We follow a list and make sure each server gets one table before starting over again and giving everyone two tables. It's a system to make sure all the servers get even tables and the same chance to make money. If someone specifically requests a server or table, we can let them go there but we just have to try and keep track, making sure to skip that person next rotation session. Unless it's really busy, we are expected to stay on rotation as much as possible.

(2) Floor cut – If things are slow and there aren't very many customers, a manager will cut the floor. Cutting the floor means that a few servers will be taken off to start their side duties. As such, the remaining servers will get more tables and hopefully get to have more customers. It also cuts costs of the company.

Notes before I go do my final assignments (some will be the same as Sonata):

Sorry this chapter was very short; next one will make up for it.

More love from you guys = More love from me~! It's a game of give or take~! (I think that's how the lyrics go…)

Homework + laptop got hit with Malware = delayed update. Luckily enough, my sister's bf saved it from getting fired but I was really far behind on my updates for my computer software too. It took almost a whole day for it to get caught up!

I have new ideas and a new poll posted on my profile. I would be eternally grateful if you'd all take the time to vote. (Bows politely)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Three: Soul Eater vs. the Orange Juice Machine

Monday had been rather uneventful for Soul. He went in, filled in some paperwork, and then got shoved in front of a computer with a touch screen for about five hours. The paperwork, training video and such had taken about an hour, giving him a good six hour shift at minimum wage total. Today, Tuesday, he was supposed to be working with another server, Liz from the sounds of it, and getting shown how to do every last thing on the list of responsibilities that came with the job.

One of those many things being something called "side work".

Soul didn't really mind so much as he and Liz watched one server, known as Ox, offer his somewhat unnecessary assistance to a pink haired server named Kim. She responded by snapping at him a bit and sending him into a slight depression. "So… Are you starting to gather how things work here?" She asked calmly.

"Yeah, I think so," He said calmly. He glanced at Maka, who was coaxing Ox to cheer up and get back on track and then to Spirit, who was wearing a hair net, gloves, and was dishing out commands as he set hot dishes of food onto the large square trays used to serve meals. "Maka handles appearances, gets the final say in hiring, and keeping employees on track. Spirit assures that the meals are correct and hot, as well as making the initial say in whom he feels would be a good employee. Albeit, he seems to pick his choices by whoever can drink him under the table, but he still has a system in place so that he can work his suggestions to Maka and see about getting them settled in."

"Good boy; you learn fast for a blonde," She laughed teasingly. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"My hair isn't blonde… It's white," He said blandly. The older woman blinked a few times at him.

"Yes, but didn't you bleach it to get it that color?"

"No, this is one-hundred percent natural,"

"… Are… Are you for real?"

"Yes,"

"…"

"…"

"Well aren't you just a special little snowflake," Liz shrugged calmly. Patty, as Soul remembered, came busting in suddenly. She threw her arms around Liz's neck and leaned on her, causing the other girl to hunch a bit. "What is it Patty?"

"Sis, I need food~! Can I have some of your tips to get a soda and some food~?" The lighter blonde whined lightly, her face resembling a puppy dog. A low sigh came from Liz as she reached into her apron, pulling out a few bills and offering them to the other girl. She snatched them away and the sparkle in her eyes returned. "Thank you Liz~! You're the best big sister ever~!" She sang before rushing over to Maka (who had successfully gotten Ox back out to tend to his tables).

"You two are sisters?" Soul asked curiously. The taller individual smiled lightly and nodded, watching the blonde animated talk to Maka about what she wanted.

"Yeah. She's my younger sister. Our parents were kind of assholes and abandoned us when we were younger. We lived on the streets until I meet Spirit one night," She said slowly. She glanced at the red haired male who was threatening to beat another grill cook with a hot spatula. "He saw us and offered us to stay the night. We did and the next morning he asked me how old I was. Since I was sixteen, I told him so and he offered me a serving job. He said he'd let me and Patty stay with him and Maka as long as we needed as long as I was a hard worker."

"Wow… That was pretty cool of him," Soul whistled lightly, looking over at Spirit and then back at Liz. At one point, Soul may have scoffed at such a story and told her she should have gone somewhere for help but he could understand now. He himself never expected to fall on his ass, had thought they'd have help within their social life, and now that he was here… Well, it was obviously quite the humbling experience for him.

"That's how Spirit does things. He hires people who need the job because he knows then they'll bust their asses to make sure they keep the job," She said cheerfully. She then twitched a bit as a thought struck her. "And then there are people like-"

"Have no fear everyone; your God has arrived!"

"Black*Star," She moaned out lowly, smacking her forehead and shaking her head. Soul perked up and looked over to see his friend wearing the all black uniform of a busser with a large grin on his lips. "There's a reason he gets assigned to work in the evenings; with that much… Erm… 'Energy' he inspires that other workers to get their jobs done as fast as they can so they can leave." The crimson eyed male had to bite back a laugh at how Liz used air quotes on energy.

"Hey Black*Star," He said casually, waving at the other male. The other turned over with wide eyes, stumbling back and pointing at him accusingly. "What?"

"What the- **Soul**? Are… Are you a **server**?" He declared frantically. Soul had told Black*Star he had an interview with the managers of Ace of Hearts; he hadn't specified it was for a serving job or that he'd gotten it. Maka walked over calmly, grabbing the other male by his ear and giving a small, sharp tug.

"Yes, Black*Star, he is a server as of yesterday. And considering you never showed up for your early morning shift, as well as not answering any of my calls, I think it's about time you get to work!" Maka snapped harshly, dragging him along. The blue haired male was yelling and howling loudly against the treatment. "And stop bitching! Now get over to that computer, clock in, and start working like I pay you to!" She said, releasing him in from of one of the computers.

Grumbling and rubbing his ear, Black*Star glared at the blonde as she walked back over to Liz and Soul.

"Now, today, I want you to teach Soul about cleaning out the orange juice machines," Maka stated calmly, pulling out a small slip of paper. She handed it to Soul. "Liz is going to monitor you and give you instructions while she works on her side work. Once you've finished everything, she'll double check and see how you did. If you did it right, she'll sign on this line here. And I already got you Kim's signature for your tables being in tip-top shape." She said, pointing to the line that said "tables"; there was a chicken scratch signature on the empty line beside it in neon blue pen. "After that, Liz will show you how to roll silverware. Once you have rolled the number necessary for tonight, which is eight, you'll come to me for your last signature. Understood?" She asked in that no-nonsense tone of hers.

Soul would never admit it (because it wasn't cool and he had only known Maka a whole of technically three days), but he thought it was terribly cute when she tried to look intimidating and demanding when she was the human equivalent of a Pomeranian. "Sure thing," He said calmly, keeping up his laid back appearance. With a smile and nod, Maka headed out to go see how things were going out in the front. Liz grinned impishly at him. "What?"

"You've got the hots for Maka, don't you?" She mused as she led him over to the orange juice machines. His face turned so red at her words the only difference between it and his eyes were the whites that surrounded the pupils. "You totally do! That's absolutely adorable!"

"Do you have to yell that kind of stuff out loud? You'll make my gratitude seem like something else," He said with a small scoff, looking off to the side. The young woman paused and looked at him as if he was an idiot. "She got me a job that I really need; I'm just trying to make her see she made the right choice. I can't cause this job to get screwed up because of some frivolous rumors." Definition: Yes, you are right, but if that gets around I could get booted by the Big Boss because it's his daughter!

Liz snorted lightly at him. "Alright, fine. No need to get all diplomatic on me," Definition: Understood; I will hackle you only during moments of near complete solitude. He was rather grateful Liz and he seemed to think on a similar wavelength; it made cryptic conversations much easier. She picked up two orange pitchers and handed them to him. Soul set them on the counter next to the juice machine.

"Anyway, a brief summary of the orange juice side work; it totally sucks. What you have to do is fill these pitchers with the orange juice currently in machine and put plastic wrap over the top. Then you put a note with what day it was made and what day it goes bad on. There are lists taped to the walls near all the machines that tell you how long things are good for. After that you have to remove the metals parts inside, as well as the plastic tops, so that they can be washed. Black*Star can take them for you and bring them back when they're done. Come to me when you're done with all that, okay?" Liz asked calmly.

"Okay. Will you just sort of be around or will I have to go looking for you?" Soul asked as he picked up a nearby stepping stool and setting it by the juice machines. They were a little too high up for him to reach down and get the inner gears without said stool, and he figured it'd be best to keep it close by.

"I'll probably be pulling some root beers from the back, since my side work is to restock this fridge right here," She said, knocking on a large steel fridge a few feet away from the juice machines. "Either way, I'll be getting stuff or organizing stuff; just wait for me since I'll be close by anyway."

He grinned at her lightly. "Awesome," He stated before turning to his own task. He pushed the metal prongs that would release the orange juice with the pitchers and watched blankly as they filled up. While he waited on that, he began jotting down the dates on two sticky notes to save himself some time. He smirked as, a mere three minutes later, he pulled the plastic wrap over the tops and tacked on the sticky notes. He put them off to the side as he readied the stool. _'Why did she say this was hard? This has been ridiculously easy!'_ He laughed to himself with a triumphant smirk. If this was supposed to be one of the most daunting of the side work tasks than he'd have no trouble with the rest of it! He stepped up on the stool and reached in to grasp the metal piece that made sure the oranges were properly sliced to juicy goodness.

And that was when it happened. Liz could tell Soul had injured himself just by the sudden thing he snapped in their cryptic tongue.

"**FUCK**!" Definition: Ouch.

…

"You're lucky you didn't take your finger off!" Maka chided sternly as she pressed the clean gauze pad against Soul's thumb. Liz was snickering as she leaned against the doorframe to the office. "And you! Why didn't you remember to warn him that those blades are tough and sharp?"

"Well, I didn't think he'd just start yanking like a moron," Liz stated in her defense. Soul and Maka both looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Let's be real here; you're a quick study but you're a little lacking in the common sense department."

"That's beside the point," Maka sighed as she slowly peeled the gauze of. Soul winced but, luckily enough, she tossed it away and pulled out another. She held it in place with one hand while the other got out the medical tape to wrap the injury up. "Well, it bled a lot but you shouldn't need stitches and you should be fine. I'd still suggest going to a clinic and getting a second opinion, since I'm far from a professional." She stated gently. She then looked at the clock and sighed lightly. "There's a little place down the street that a friend of the family owns. I'll take you there and have the doctor look it over; he should still be able to make time for you on my behalf. And I don't think you'll be able to roll your silverware like that anyway." She said as she finished up. She then stood and looked at Liz.

The other blonde held up her hands. "I know, I know. Finish up with the orange juice machines, right? I can handle that no problem," She said.

"Actually, I was going to tell you to get Black*Star to handle it since all that's left is cleaning the pieces," Maka answered back smoothly. Liz's eyes lit up with mirth and a wicked little grin turned up on her lips. "Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself, okay? The last thing I need is him yelling about how he got a cut because he was doing something that isn't technically his responsibility."

"You got it, chief," Liz beamed, giving a little salute, before darting off happily. There was a small pause before a whistle was heard. "Oh Black*Star~! I have a message to you from a higher power~!" She sang along.

"Follow me," Maka laughed lightly, shaking her head a bit as they headed out.

…

It was a brisk evening, a small breeze keeping Soul and Maka from being too hot or too cool. It was nearly the perfect temperature, really. They were currently paused at a stop light, waiting to cross the street. "So is it just you and your dad?" Soul asked curiously. She glanced up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. My mother died when I was really young. I don't remember her much but my dad says I'm a lot like her," She said with a small smile. The light changed and he followed her through the crosswalk. "What about you? What's your family like?" She asked gently, looking over at him curiously.

"Well… My dad passed away a little while ago and my mom… She isn't taking it well. And my older brother," He said with a small scowl, "well, he ran off with some skank he met at a club or something. He left me with all the debts, all the responsibility and I don't have any help with my mom."

"That's terrible," She said softly. She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Have you thought about getting your mom into therapy?" She asked delicately. He looked down and shoved his good hand in his pocket (because he was afraid to move the other one because of the injured digit).

"I need to be the one to help. She's my mother; it's our family matters," He grumbled lightly. As they reached the other end of the street, Maka turned him a bit more to look at her. Her eyes were a slightly darker moss tint in the light and sparkled with concern.

"Soul, if you need a little help than that is okay. You can't do everything alone; you'll burn yourself out like that," The sincere concern in her eyes startled him just a little. He knew, just from her offering him the job and everything, that she was a kind spirit. It didn't really surprise him that she was worried about him. And it was nice to have someone watch out for him; with his attention always on his mother and helping her, he had tossed his own needs to the wayside. "If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know and I'll do my best to help." She smiled reassuringly, filling him up with the hope that it could all be okay.

"Thanks, Maka," He said with a small smile of his own. She giggled happily at this and stopped in front of a small building just a few feet down the street. It was a strange building with tinted windows in the front. In black block text on the windows were the words "Franken Stein, Private Medical Practice". He glanced at her uncertainly but then followed her as she twisted the knob and slid inside.

"Dr. Stein? Are you there?" She called casually. A loud squeaking noise was heard before a dark silhouette rolled into the entryway of the front office. Soul twitched in fear when he saw large white circles where the individual's eyes should be.

"Maka-Chan, how nice of you to visit," The voice mused lightly before there was a quick clap. The poor young man standing next to the addressed girl jumped as the lights flickered on. Sitting on a rolling chair was an older look man, probably around the same age as Spirit. He had on a light and dark grey sweater that was stitched up with various sewing marks on it. He had on brown slacks, white shoes and a white lab coat tossed on as well. What got to Soul was the large screw protruding from the side of the male's head.

"Good evening Dr. Stein," Maka said, fiddling with her apron a little. The older male chuckled lightly and stood up, holding his arms out to her. She blinked then smiled and hugged him fiercely. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to get together recently; things have been busier than usual." She stated cheerfully.

"Ah, it's all right. Your father said we might do a dinner on Sunday evening together, if Azusa returns from her vacation on time, that is. He wants to make sure there will be another manager working with Justin, since he never takes those headphones of his off," Stein said gently, hugging the young girl back. Soul wasn't sure but something was just… Off. The other male gave off the vibes of a funny uncle. After they parted, Stein looked over at him as if finally realizing he was there. "And this is?"

"Oh, this is Soul Eater! He's a new server at the restaurant," Maka said with a glowing smile to the albino. She then indicated his injured finger. "There was a small incident with the orange juice machines. Would you mind looking over the wound, make sure it isn't too bad off?" She asked sweetly.

"Sure," He said peacefully. He then looked over at Soul, an eager glint coming to his eyes. "Come over here real fast, young man." He held out his hands; one was empty while the other held a scalpel.

Little alarms were going off all over the place in Soul's head.

"Don't worry; he'd going to use the scalpel to remove the wraps I put over it," Maka said, sensing his apprehension. Not many people were very trusting of Dr. Franken Stein, but she's known him her whole life. He'd been like an uncle to her, helping her father raise her after her mother passed on. Everyone was always a little skeptical of him but she knew he wouldn't hurt them.

Soul offered his hand over, forcing himself to remain perfectly still. A skilled hand slipped the scalpel under a bit and cut open the sterile wraps. He examined the cut, carefully looking around and taking note of how Soul winced when he poked or prodded. He then nodded. "It's not too bad; won't need stitches or anything. Just make sure to clean it thoroughly every morning when you wake up and every night before bed. It'll help you heal up faster," Stein stated thoughtfully. He tilted his head backwards.

"There's a sink and medicines you can use in the back real fast. Then come back out here and I'll re-wrap it for you."

Soul nodded. "Thank you," He said before heading off. Once he was gone, Stein looked over at Maka with a small smile.

"He seems like a nice guy," He commented.

"Yeah… Yeah, he really is," Maka agreed with a giggle.

'_Looks like Maka's got a little crush,'_ Stein thought mirthfully. He'd have to make sure to keep this to himself. This would be delicious to dangle over Spirit's head, after all.

End

Some notes before I rush away:

I wanted to give Soul some conflict with an inanimate object. Why? Because it's funny.

Now there will be twenty percent more Stein in both my fics! Hooray!

I forgot to post the next chapter preview last time; sorry about that.

Also, still got that poll up on my account. Please check it out and give me your opinion. Also, to anonymous reviewers, just say which one you would like to see in your review and I'll remember it when I do the final score.

Next Chapter:

Soul officially gets to join the Ace of Hearts "cool kid" club. Maka decides it's time that their newest employee goes on his first clubbing experience. Liz enlists the help of Kid and Patty in the plans to hook up their boss and the rookie server.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Four: Party at The Enchanted Cubical

Soul was proud of his accomplishments in the last month since working at the Ace of Hearts. Since it was always busy and the hours were dependable, he had managed to get some more furniture for his apartment with Maka's help. On one of their shared days off, she offered to help him with the shopping he had to get done. When he mentioned needing to find some new, less worn down furniture, the blonde had gushed happily that she knew a family friend who sold said goods. After the pair had looked around, debating on what was good with everything else he already had that wasn't going to be replaced, she talked to a man named Sid who agreed to give Soul a small discount (fifteen percent) and free delivery since he knew the young Albarn girl.

Soul had decided that maybe getting drunk with a stranger was a better idea than originally anticipated, with only one drawback being Maka's immense curosity.

He had made sure to shake Maka at her offer to come over and fix dinner for he and his mother; he certainly didn't need her seeing his mother in the state she was currently in. He had lied and said his mother had a small case of the flu and he didn't want her to be at risk to catch it. She seemed to accept that answer and left to go make sure her father would have something to eat when he returned home. Now, Soul was rolling up his silverware after his shift and saw Liz whispering quietly to their young boss a few feet away.

"I don't think there will be any issue if he comes. Besides, he's not really familiar with the town and doesn't seem to have a social life outside of work," Maka mumbled, glancing at the silver haired male. Soul twitched when their eyes locked and fumbled with his current set to roll, causing them to tumble to the floor. She giggled while he groaned and recollected them, dumping them into a nearby bus tub. "He's a really sweet guy and he deserves a chance."

"Okay, but if Kid starts to freak out about symmetry than you're the one who has to take care of it," Liz sighed before handing her a slip of paper. Maka took it and giggled, signing that the other blonde had rolled all her silver. She slipped the paper into her serving booklet and headed off to clock out. "If he agrees, have him head to your place and we'll meet up with you there." She waved before heading off.

Emerald spheres shifted over to the male they had been discussing and she approached, her smile still in place. "Hey, Soul," She said casually. He glanced up at her curiously, his hand resting on his tub filled with perfectly rolled utensils. "Since tomorrow is Sunday, and we're closed on Sunday, did you want to go clubbing with me and a few of the other workers tonight?"

The young ex-aristocrat knew very little about middle class (or low class) living but he had heard about clubs from Black*Star. The blue always boasted about how popular he was in the club scene (though Soul was learning to take his friend's words with a grain of salt) and could get anyone through the V.I.P line. Other than that there were lines, drinks and music, he didn't know what else there was to it really. And the fact that he'd be going with Maka (and others, but he could ignore that fact easily enough) really sparked his interest even more. "Sure," He answered with a grin.

"Great!" Maka gushed happily, eyes lighting up like fireworks. His grin got wider, delighted by that overjoyed expression. "Once you're done, clock out and get changed at home. Once you're ready, head over to my house; I should be ready by then." She stated happily.

"Awesome. Oh, and I just need your signature before I can go," He said, pulling out his paper and offering it to her. She looked at his tub, inspecting it, before she signed and smiled, handing it back. "Thank you, Maka, and I will see you in a few minutes." He beamed before heading to the small computer nearest him and clocking out. _'This should be pretty fun. I might get the chance to get Maka alone and chill.'_ He thought while plucking out his time sheet and heading out to the front register to get his tips.

Liz was there, chatting with a grin at the cashier. It was another employee whose name Soul could never remember (partially because he didn't really care and partially because the guy's name tag didn't have a name on it) and both looked at him. Liz grinned impishly at him. "So are you joining us tonight?" She asked cheerfully.

"Who all is us?" He asked as he handed the cashier his time card. It also had the amount of money they made in computer tips through credit or debit cards so that the cashier could give him that money in cash.

"You, me, Maka, Tsubaki, Black*Star, Patty and Kid," She listed, holding up a finger for each person. She then looked at them and wiggled them about at him. "Only seven people. Besides, Tsubaki and Black*Star almost always go off by themselves to dance while the rest of us try to keep Kid from freaking out about how asymmetrical the club is on the inside. Patty and I, however, can keep him under control if you'd rather, oh, I don't know, help Maka enjoy herself a little bit."

Definition: Everyone else will be distracted; give me the green light and I'll get you some private flirt time with the boss lady.

He smirked a bit as he took the cash offered by cashier. He counted it out and beamed with pride at the sixty-four dollars. He then put it with the thirty-five dollars left in cash tips, giving him a total of ninety-nine dollars. "So are we all just meeting up at the club or what? Maka told me to head to her house after I finished getting ready," He explained as they headed to the door. He held it for Liz so that she could head out first and she grinned.

"Want a lift? My cars a real clunker but it's better than walking," She offered. He smiled and nodded, liking the thought of not having to hail a cab or walk the six blocks to his home. She led him to an older look sedan. It had chipped and faded gold paint on it. "It isn't that pretty but it runs well, has AC and a heater and doesn't make any weird noises so I guess it's not too bad. Just might want to give it a new paint job, huh?" She laughed lightly.

"Yeah, and even then you could get a pretty good job done somewhere around here for a nice price, right?" He suggested as he headed to the passenger side seat. Liz unlocked her own door, then clicked a button that unlocked Soul's.

"That's true. I think there's a place nearby that can do it for about two hundred dollars or so," She agreed with a nod. She turned the car on, grinning wider when it wheezed to life, and started backing out. "So you live where exactly? I know this city by heart; tell me a street and I can get us there."

"I live in the Hidden Oasis apartment complex," He said with a small sigh. Liz forced herself not to make a face in response.

"You weren't kidding when you said you really need this job, huh?" She asked as she started out. She then shook her head. "Anyway, I'll be picking you and Maka up after you're both ready. Kid and Patty are hitching a ride with Tsubaki and Black*Star tonight so there will be more than enough room in this car of mine."

Soul was more than grateful for the change of subject. "That's cool. So, exactly what kind of clothes should I wear this evening?" He asked while relaxing into the surprisingly plush seats of Liz's car. She ginned at him again.

"Wear something nice looking but also comfortable," She stated calmly. She stopped at a red light and looked at him. "Maka likes conservative, practical. That's the style she uses for herself anyway. Dress like that and I'm sure you'll get her attention." She perked up and slammed on the gas when the light turned green. The rest of the car ride was nice and quiet and, upon reaching his building, Liz parked and smirked at him. "Make sure not to put on a cologne that's too pungent either. You wouldn't want to smother her with your scent while making out!" She howled after he got out of the car, peeling out in a screech of tires.

Soul stood there, red faced, for a moment before making sure to not use the cologne he'd thought of; it was a little too strong.

…

Soul ended up deciding to go with a dark blue long sleeved button-up silk shirt (one of his salvages from his time having more than enough money) and a pair of black jeans. With it, he tossed on a pair of black sneakers and decided to just leave his hair as it was. He didn't want to style it in another way at the risk of looking like some kind of dofus. After he assured his mother was asleep (and had eaten a few nibbles of the food he left for her before work), he had locked up the apartment, hailed a cab and headed to Maka's place.

For some reason, standing at the door and preparing to knock, made him feel nervous. He wondered if that was what normal guys felt like when they went to go pick a girl up for their first date. He swallowed hard, forcing up his courage, and knocked lightly. Maka answered with a bright smile on her face. "Hey there, Soul," She beamed, stepping aside for him to enter.

He looked at her as he stood by the door, not quite sure where to go. She was wearing a long sleeved black top, buttoned up all the way to her neck, and a black jean skirt. The pair were both a little short so he could see a thin strip of her stomach as well as her long, smooth legs. The simple outfit was tied off with a pair of black and white polka-dot flats. Her hair was let loose and appeared to be curled a little bit, adding a sort of sexy quality to the whole thing. "You look great," He said without thinking first.

They both blushed lightly, but Maka giggled as she grabbed a small black purse from the arm chair in the room. "Thank you. You're looking pretty spiffy yourself," She beamed lightly, tugging the strap on to her shoulder. He smiled back, grateful that he hadn't made a total fool of himself, and waited patiently for her to finish getting adjusted. Liz called me ten minutes ago saying she was on her way. She should be here any minute so we should wait outside for her." She said.

He nodded. "That's cool with me," He said calmly. Maka led him out, making sure to lock up her apartment before they headed down the steps leading up to the building, and standing on the sidewalk near the street to see Liz's car when she pulled up. "So, what exactly did I do when I was drunk over here?" He asked cautiously. Green eyes looked at him skeptically. "Yeah, I know it was a month ago but I haven't really had a chance to ask you. Or thank you for taking care of me after that."

"Well, you and my dad sang very poorly together for a good hour before you two started rambling in slurred speech about I don't even know what. It was kind of interesting, though. Watching you sing Wannabe by The Spice Girls out of key and trying to dance to it too," She mused lightly, resting one hand on the strap of her purse. Soul felt his entire face turn crimson with this newfound information. She leaned over a bit, letting her head fall on his shoulder for a second. "And you're welcome." She said before standing straight again.

It was then that Liz pulled up, a wicked grin on her glossed lips. "Hey, hey! You two ready to go?" She cheered. Soul smiled at Maka and tilted his head toward the driver side seat.

"You can have shotgun," He said. She blinked then smiled brightly at him.

"Thanks," She said before heading around. A quick glance at Liz saw her flash him an approving wink. He slipped in without another word and smiled to himself. He had a hunch that maybe tonight was going to be more fun than he had originally thought.

…

They ended up having to park about a block away from the club they were going to be visiting. "So this place is called The Enchanted Cubicle?" Soul asked curiously as they headed out.

"Yeah. It's supposed to be a joke of the standard club scene, hence the name. Or something like that," Liz shrugged casually. She was wearing a light black dress with a tank top style top and sleeves made of lace. There was a black belt cinched around her waist to make it look like a blouse and top. She had also tossed on black heels with straps that wrapped up her ankle and twin red bracelets made with large round beads on either wrist. All and all, she looked like the perfect club companion to any guy.

Soul, however, was not quite every guy.

"It's a fun place to hang out at, though," Maka added on. While Liz was leading them both along, Maka had slipped back a few steps to keep up with Soul. It certainly made conversation a little easier. The younger blonde perked up and smiled when she looked ahead. "Oh, there are Patty and the others!" She stated, lifting her hand and waving.

Patty was the first person in the group Soul saw, since she was the one waving back. She had gone for a completely casual outfit choice, with the exception of a few touches. She was wearing a regular short sleeved T-shirt in a sort of tan hue with a backwards number eleven on the left side. Added with the blue jeans covered in what appeared to be paint splatters, the equally tainted Converse, the spiked bracelets and the fake fox ears with matching tail she had on, and she looked more like she was ready to walk the mall or go to an anime convention than go clubbing.

Next to her was Kid. He was wearing what appeared to be a light black jacket over a white button up. There was a black tie knotted around his neck as well. He also had on jeans and some clean, new looking white sneakers. Although he almost always wore a somewhat disinterested expression, he seemed a tad bit more relaxed and pleasant.

After him came Tsubaki. The fact that her hair was tied off in a high ponytail was the first thing that caught Soul's attention; she had to wear it up for work, so why wear it up when hanging with friends? He tossed that side to take into account her outfit. She was wearing a cute white top that's sleeves drooped a bit off her shoulders to reveal the skin there. The shirt also showed a bit of cleavage, and went well with the black leather mini skirt she had paired it with. Under the skirt she wore a pair of black leggings that reached to about the midway point of her calves. It was all finished with a pair of white sneakers; cute and charming yet also simplistic.

And then there was Black*Star; clad in nothing but a loose black tank top and a pair of baggy black basketball shorts, with tattered gray and white sneakers added to it. Liz shook her head at him and made a clucking sound with her tongue. "Black*Star, couldn't you have tried to wearing something a little more… I don't know… Attractive?" She sighed, smacking her forehead in distaste.

"What are you talking about? I can wear anything and still look like a rock star! I am the great Black*Star!" The blue-haired male boomed enthusiastically. The other people in line near them glared and grumbled, annoyed by the boy's antiques, but decided against picking a fight. Tsubaki gently placed a hand on his shoulder, earning his attention, and awarded her with a small grin. "I know, I know. I should keep a low profile so I don't get bombarded with requests for autographs. That could spoil our fun if my fans are hounding us!" He stated proudly with a thumbs-up directed at the girl.

'_Tsubaki's a genius… An enabler to his massive ego, but a genius none the less,'_ Soul thought in slight shock. He then shoved his hands in his pocket and eased into his spot next to Maka in line. _'Then again, Liz did say Tsubaki spends a lot of time with him when they go out. Maybe she'd just adjusted better than the rest of us.'_

"Looks like we might be getting in soon," Maka cheered while looking a little bit ahead of them. The others in the group smiled excitedly and started shifting eagerly in anticipation. The small talk they amused themselves with was just mindless fluff ("And then they only tipped me three dollars!" "No way!" "How rude!") and once they were inside, Soul had to take a second to gather his bearings.

The club space was large, to say the least. There was a large circular area in the middle, riddled with bar stools, where bartenders were mixing drinks for eager customers. There were booths all along the far wall, most occupied with one of two empty seats here or there, and the lights were too dim to see much else. Above the dance floor was a raised platform where a figure could be seen scratching discs and providing the music booming from the huge square woofers on either side of the platform. On the roof, between a few sprinklers, was a large black disco ball with rainbow colored circles on it. It was spinning and sending out an array of colors, splashing random spots with light to replace the darkness.

All in all, Soul liked the atmosphere of this place. Why had his parents been so against these types of hangouts?

"Want to get something to drink? Liz said she'll be DD tonight," Maka suggested politely. A quick glance around showed that everyone else had already disappeared to who knew where, leaving the pair along. Soul was a little surprised that Liz had stuck to her words so quickly.

"Sure. I'll pay for you too," He stated as they headed toward the large circular bar. She smiled as they eased into chairs next to one another.

"What a gentleman," She mused while setting her purse in her lap. He smiled as the bar tender approached them. "A glass of water and a Peachy Keen for me, please." She beamed lightly.

"I'll go with water and a dos equis, please," He stated. The bartender nodded and set to work on the drinks. Maka leaned one arm on the bar and grinned at him, resting her head in the hand. He glanced at her with a small, lopsided grin. "What's with that look?" He asked.

"If you can handle a dos equis as your starting beverage than it's no wonder you were able to drink my Papa under the table," She giggled lightly. He smiled and laughed lightly, starting up on a tale from when he and Black*Star were first legal to drink and the escapade that followed.

"They click well," Liz stated cheerfully. Kid nodded, a hand resting on his chin thoughtfully.

"And they do seem to be a symmetrical pair," He added on. Patty grinned lightly, swaying her hips and causing her bushy fox tail to sway, and giggled at his statement. "They have to be symmetrical to have a chance in a relationship." He said while clearing his throat, glancing at the other blonde.

"I think it's cute~!" Patty sang, still dancing and swaying in place eagerly. Liz smirked and nodded, shifting her gaze to the still somewhat resistant male figure.

"I guess we'll help you," Kid stated finally, closing his eyes. If he kept looking around at how asymmetrical the club was, he'd start to get distressed and frantic. And then they'd get thrown out of the club again. "It would certainly be nice if Maka could find someone to make her happy and keep her from feeling lonely while everyone else is getting together around her." He stated in his usual even tone of voice.

Liz smirked widely. "Let Operation: Maka's Happily Ever After commence!" She cheered, throwing one fist in the air excitedly. Patty imitated her action, cheering and giggling all the while. Kid sweat-dropped and looked at the woman.

"Is that **really** the best you could come up with?"

"… Shut up, Buzz Kill!"

End

Notes before I go pass out:

Not as eventful as planned… Then again, big stuff is going to go down next chapter to compensate for it.

Sorry this one was late; dentist appointment, work, home stuff and friends wanting to hang out now that the semester is over has been taking over my world. Also, my next update may be a little late as well. I go in on Thursday/Friday to get all four of my wisdom teeth and three others removed and will be hopped up on Vicodin for a few days. I'll try to do what I can before then, but I will not post until about next Wednesday(the 8th)/Thursday(the 9th) even if I finish them before I go in (Friday, depending on how my healing is going).

Leaving the poll up for you guys; if you haven't voted, please do if you find the time.

Next Chapter:

Soul isn't sure if Maka is a tad bit nosier than he originally thought she was or if it's just a sign that she likes him. Maka learns that Soul and his mother both seem to have a soft spot for peppermint tea and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls. I give you this little equation to shift through: Stein, Spirit, Sid, Azusa and a deck of cards after hours on a Tuesday evening. Place your bets~!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Five: Hot Cross Cinnamon Buns

Soul had been planning to spend his day off (He got Sundays and Tuesdays because Maka had revealed to him he could not work seven days a week at the restaurant) cleaning the apartment. Soul would have preferred to lounge around the house and actually rest, but between having to shop for grocery and new furniture, get more clothes for work and leisure, and working five days a week, he hadn't had much time to do anything really domestic in his home. And since his mother was still down for the count, it meant everything fell to him.

He slept in as a reward and was awoken by soft talking in the other room.

Worried that a burglar may have come busting in (and his mother, being a bit daft right now, having invited the delightful chap to tea and cookies), he took off from his room like a bat out of hell. He was stunned to see his mother sitting at the small kitchen table near their nook of a kitchen. She had a cup of tea, her hair was disheveled, her blanket was drawn around her shoulders, but she was actually smiling lightly. Standing at the stove in the kitchen, pouring steaming water into two more mugs, was none other than his boss Maka Albarn.

"What are you doing here?" He declared after regathering his wits, pointing an accusing finger at the young girl. Maka was wearing the powder blue apron he had bought on top of a long sleeved white sweater and a pink skirt. The skirt was a mini-skirt and had a cute little bow with dangling pom-poms on the bottom left corner. She had left her shoes at the door, nothing but her white ankle socks covering her feet from the cool tile of the kitchen. He then noted that her hair was tied off in twin pigtails that rested against her shoulders.

"Soulie-Bear! That is no way to speak to our guest!" His mother clucked out lightly, turning her face to flash him a small pout. He felt his entire face go red as Maka giggled lightly at his childhood pet name. "Now then, please continue your story Maka." Masumi said politely, smiling at the younger woman.

The blonde headed over with the two mugs, setting one down on either side of Masumi. Soul caught the scent of peppermint and blinked a bit before finally settling into one of the spots beside his mother. Maka did as well. "Well, the man was rather displeased with his bill. He started claiming that poor Kim was lying about some of their charges! I was worried that we'd receive a bad reputation for the man's terrible lies," Maka said gently. She then picked up her cup, smiling now, and blew into it lightly. "But then, my Papa stepped in and handled everything perfectly. He explained that, though he didn't appreciate the man's behavior, that if he truly felt he'd been cheated my father would reduce his bill for him. The man was so stunned by this that he owned up to his lies and paid the full amount! And, if you can believe it, he's actually become a regular at the restaurant!" She beamed cheerfully.

"Your father sounds like quite the intellectual business man, Maka," Masumi nodded, eyes hinting at a bit of admiration. She took a sip of her own tea before continuing. "I know quite a few men who have been in their businesses for decades and still would have no idea to handle such a situation."

"Papa's really a great guy. I'll have to introduce you to him sometime," She beamed lightly. She then looked to Soul, who still seemed a smidge confused. "Are you hungry? I have some cinnamon rolls baking in the oven right now."

"That sounds great. Thanks," He said with a surprised blink. He almost wondered how Maka had found his home until he remembered he had to write it down on his application form. He stood up, planning to head to the bathroom now that he knew his mother was chatting with a murderer or anything. "Excuse me real fast, okay? I need to go take care of some business."

"We'll be right here," Maka mused lightly. He had to admit that with her around, the house seemed a bit brighter. Hell, even his mother was actually smiling and talking! Normally he took lots of poking and prodding by him to get her to so much as get off the couch to use the restroom!

"Oh, and, Soulie-Bear?" Masumi asked sweetly. He twitched but looked back at her with a small smile on his lips.

"Yes, Mother?"

"While you're up, in case this wasn't what you were doing, would you mind terribly putting on some pants? Walking around in front of a modest young lady like Maka is in nothing but your skivvies is just deplorable," She stated with a disapproving frown. His eyes widened as he looked down and saw he was truly in nothing put his blue and white striped boxers in front of the petite blonde… Again!

He took off running for his room. "Thank you, Mother!" He called back without a second glance.

"You're most certainly welcome, sweetie!" She called back happily. She then sighed and shook her head. "That little boy of mine. Sometimes I think, if it wasn't attached, I'd have to remind him to take his head with him when he leaves the house. Then again, it is a parent's duty to look out for their children's best interests and welfare, right, Maka?" She mused happily.

Maka just smiled and nodded in agreement, a faint blush on her cheeks.

…

Soul ended up tossing on a pair of white cargo shorts and a regular orange T-shirt to go with. Upon opening his door again, the sweet smell of freshly prepared cinnamon rolls wafted through the air and he rushed to the kitchen. In the center of his kitchen table sat a plate piled high with warm, delicious and steaming buns. There were three plates set at the table and Maka and Masumi already had two on their plates. Following by example, Soul put two of the fattest rolls he could find on his own plate and started chowing down while listening to the conversation between the two women.

"Oh, my, you poor dear! To have never known your mother," Masumi said sadly, one hand holding a bun and other covering her mouth in slight surprise and anguish. Maka gave her a warm, grateful smile and waved on hand in the air as if trying to brush away this information.

"It's quite alright, Masumi," Maka said warmly. Soul twitched a bit at that; the two were getting along well enough that his mother had offered her first name? Soul wondered briefly what the temperature in hell was at current. "My Papa tells me about my mother all the time. Plus, all the managers and my Papa's friends have always helped take care of me. We may not be a conventional family, but we're still a family none the less."

"Family and love are good things to have," Masumi added. She reached one hand out and took Soul's, giving it a little squeeze. He glanced up to be met by a proud smile on his mother's face. "That's why I'm so blessed to have a wonderful son like my little Soul."

He blushed a bit and looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand and keeping the other entwined with hers. "Aw, Mom, I could never abandon you. I mean, you're my mom and, you know, I love you and stuff," He stumbled out shyly.

He was glad Maka was the one here right now; he could just hear Black*Star laughing "Soul loves his mommy~! Soul loves his mommy~!" over and over in his head.

"I love you too, Soulie-Bear," She cooed back happily. For a moment he feared she might cry, giving the misty glint that came to her eyes, but she merely closed her eyes and took a bite of her breakfast.

A quick glance at Maka showed a bright smile on her lips as she liked some icing from her cinnamon bun from her fingers. He blushed and tried to glare at her (both for causing such an emotional moment and also for putting dirty thoughts in his mind) but he failed; instead she giggled at his efforts and stood up. "So did you two have any plans for the day?"

"I was thinking about doing some cleaning up around the place," Soul stated casually. He relaxed into his seat, grateful for the change of subject. Maka blinked then smiled and nodded.

"I'll help out then," She said happily. Soul raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

"Don't you have plans with the girls or anything?" He asked.

"Nope. Liz and Patty had to go tend to some family stuff today and Tsubaki has a date with Black*Star," She said with a shrug. Masumi watched the two of them interact and smiled to herself. They sounded like a couple discussing whether or not they were able to hang out together! It was so cute!

"Huh. Well, if you really want to spend your day helping with laundry, dishes and the like, I guess it's cool if you stay here," He said, looking off to the side. Masumi smiled and stood, causing both to look at her.

"I'm going to go take a shower and get changed into something fresh. After all, I should try to put myself together a little for Maka here," She giggled lightly before heading off. She figured that maybe she could give them privacy and her son could make his move. Maka may not have been from a rich, prominent family but she was a sweet girl with a big heart.

And, at this point, Masumi just wanted to see her son happy again.

Once Masumi shut the door to the bathroom and the water started running, Soul looked at Maka. "Why did you come over here?" He asked flatly. He wasn't necessarily angry that she was here, but he had also told her he could take care of this on his own.

"I told you that you'd need help or you'd burn out," She said, picking up the dirty plates and heading into the kitchen. She moved with such comfort, such a natural aura about her; it was almost like she **belonged** here. She turned on the water and started to scrub the dishes clean. "I figured that since I wasn't doing anything else today I'd poke in and see if I could offer my assistance." She said, setting a cleaned glass in the nearby dishwater.

"It wasn't your place to decide that," He said as he walked over. He turned off the water and forced her to look up at him. While he looked annoyed and insulted, she looked defiant and confident. "And how do you know so much about it? I'm doing what I have to keep what's left of my family together without getting any handouts."

"Soul, let me tell you a little story," She said while setting the scrub brush back in the sink. He leaned more on the counter as Maka resituated herself to face him better. "After my mother died, my father was horribly depressed. He didn't try to let it show and, instead, he immersed himself in his work to avoid his strong desire to grieve. He was trying to stay strong for me and, at first, it seemed to be working. But then, as he became more and more depressed, he started eating less and spending less time at home. Finally, one day at work, he passed from a combination of sleep deprivation and malnourishment. I almost lost my Papa, and would have had no one."

He blinked a few times, watching as she took a shaky breath. She never once looked away from his gaze, though. "My father's friends all came out here to offer their help in raising me and keeping the restaurant in check. Ever since, things have been easier than they were," She continued. She then pointed at his chest with a small scowl. "If you aren't going to accept my help on your own behalf, than do it for your mother. You're her whole world, Soul; if she lost you, who knows where she'd slip to."

Soul didn't really want to admit it, but Maka had a lot of good points. Plus, she clearly had some amount of personal experience with this sort of thing, so he decided to let it go. "You're a sneaky little cheater, you know that?" He asked with a cheeky grin. She smiled back and turned on the water again.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Mr. Evans," She hummed lightly. Soul tensed up and blinked a few times in shock. She looked at him sideways, still washing the dirty utensils, before chuckling. "You thought I wouldn't figure it out? There's only one person named Soul matching your age, features, and with your social security number. Or did you forget you had to give me that when you filled out the application?"

"Damn," He sighed heavily, smacking his forehead with one hand.

"Don't worry; I didn't tell anyone else about that little bluff on your part," She said as she placed a cleaned plate in the dishwasher. He stepped back a bit to give her more room to work and easier access to the machine. "Not even my father. I assumed you lied to me for a reason and figured it'd be better to let it slide by." She looked back at him over her shoulder and grinned impishly at him.

"Thanks," He said gently, sincerely feeling it. He didn't need everyone knowing that he was from a once-famous and successful family. The thought of the horrible things they may say or do… The thought of being tossed aside and banished because of the knowledge… It was all so terrifying to him. He had, in specific, been worried how Maka would respond to being lied to.

In yet here she was, carrying that knowledge with her, and still wanting to offer her help.

He felt his cheeks grow a little bit pink at this. "I'm going to get the dirty clothes all gathered up and put in a hamper," He said hastily. He turned and headed off.

"Remember to separate the whites and the colors!" Maka called back. He looked at the window in his room and took a deep breath. He then started gathering the clothes littering his floor and tossing them into his hamper, deciding he'd sort them after they were all rounded up.

If he hadn't been head over heels for Maka Albarn before, he certainly was now.

…

Spirit took a small puff from his cigarette, a scowl on his face. His hand was absolutely horrific, but he had to keep up a poker face. There was a sweet seventy bucks in the betting pool right now that he wanted for himself. He could get Maka some new books as a little victory surprise! "So how would the Sunday after next do for a family dinner?" Stein asked suddenly, glancing over at his red haired friend. Spirit perked up and smiled lightly.

"I think Maka would love that. She really wants to try out this new recipe she got for stuffed shells," Spirit said cheerfully. His smile widened and became more wistful as he thought of his lovely little daughter. Ah, Maka, his darling, precious, perfect little baby girl gifted to him from than hands of God Himself. She was the pride and joy of his life; she was the reason he had been able to keep going on after losing Kami so early on into their life together as a family.

"Why doesn't Maka try her hand at working the kitchen? She's got quite a knack for cooking, after all," Azusa Yumi asked curiously. Azusa (or, if you were speaking Maka, Auntie Yumi) was one of the managers who worked with Spirit at the Ace of Hearts. She and Kami had been great friends growing up and, when the other woman passed on, she moved to Death City in hopes of helping raising Maka. She also ended up offering her sharp eye and strict rules to aid Spirit in keeping the restaurant afloat and the employees in line.

Sid chuckled lightly as he dropped his cards. "I'm not normally the kind of man who accepts defeat, but I fold this hand," He sighed while leaning back in his chair. He then glanced over at Azusa. "Besides, Maka likes working with the servers, retail and hostesses. You can't just pull her from that because she's got some culinary skills. Plus she hasn't started learning the Albarn family recipes from Spirit yet, has she?"

The other male chuckled and nodded. "When she was younger, I offered to teach her but she said she wanted to wait until she actually had a reason to learn. I mean, sure, she wants to take over the family business but all the recipes have been taught with the desire to express love. Until she experiences that, she doubts her own ability to cook," Spirit explained calmly. He was honestly surprised that Maka hadn't at least had her first flash with puppy love during high school; then again, she'd been more focused on remaining at the top of her class rather than being some boy's arm charm.

"Well then you'd better dust that book off because she's about to need a crash course," Stein chuckled lightly, taking a drag from his cigarette. He then stamped the bud out and pulled out a fresh one to light. "Spirit, Azusa, either one of you two planning to fold?" He asked casually.

"I'm staying in," The only woman at the table answered blandly, pushing the rest of her chips into the pile. Azure orbs shifted to the grey haired doctor.

"I'm in," Spirit answered. He reached across the table with a lighter and flicked it on, lighting up Stein's cigarette for him. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, that new kid you hired? That Eater kid?" He asked as his cigarette caught light. Spirit nodded as Stein took a puff, blowing out a skull shaped cloud. "Seems you're little Maka has a crush on him. After all, she did go over to his house today to spend time with him."

"What?" Spirit gapped, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. Sid and Azusa both smiled fondly at the thought of the perky blonde.

"She's always been a take-charge kind of woman, that's for sure. Even when she was just a little ankle biter, she made sure she got her point across and got what she wanted!" Sid laughed happily.

"Well, she get's that from Kami, or course," Azusa chimed in calmly. She chuckled lightly. "I remember when Kami announced in the ninth grade that she'd find a way to tame the womanizer known as Spirit Albarn. And, like she said, she tamed him alright. Had him totally whipped, as we all know."

The whole group, minus their red-haired cohort, was laughing at this. Spirit, on the other hand, was in a very dark place. _'Maka… My little pure angel Maka… Going to some boy's house? __**ALONE**__?'_ Various horrific (and down-right inappropriate) scenarios rolled behind his eyes. His mouth started foaming violently and he fell backwards, convulsing on the floor.

"Oh, great, Spirit's having another one of his protective-Papa attacks," Stein sighed lightly, folding his hand over. He revealed a pair of queens, a king and a pair of tens. He turned Spirit's cards, abandoned on the table, and shook his head. "Poor slob lost pretty hard. Well, guess this is all mine." He grinned cheerfully.

Azusa snapped her fingers at him. "Not so fast, Stein," She stated calmly. She turned her cards over to reveal a royal flush, causing both conscious men to gape at her like fish out of water. She pulled the money from the center into her hands and set to counting with a small hum. "Now, Stein, please make sure that we don't need to call an ambulance for Spirit. We can't really handle another hospital charge given what Black*Star did three weeks ago."

"And if he does need emergency medical attention?"

"You're a doctor, right? For the sake of charges, I'll let you do what you'd like with him this once," She scoffed lightly. After making sure the full amount she was promised was in her grasp, she stood up calmly. "Just make sure any scars are in difficult to find places; I don't want to frighten poor Maka over nothing." She said before walking away.

Stein smirked and looked at Sid. "Shall we begin?"

…

After cleaning the apartment up, Maka had convinced Soul to spend a bit of the money he'd saved up to get himself a cell phone. His old contract had been an expense he couldn't manage but now he could handle a monthly bill in exchange for communication with the outside world. He and Maka had gone to several different places in search of a good deal and a nice phone, but finally they'd gotten him all set up.

Now, walking down the street, Maka was clacking away at his keyboard.

"So what are you doing again?" He asked curiously,, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He hadn't actually asked her to begin with; she said to let her see it after they left the store and that had been that.

"I'm programming in all the numbers from work that you'll need," She stated without even looking up. Finally she smiled and offered it back. "I gave you the actual restaurant number, Black*Star's cell, Tsubaki's home and cell, Liz and Patty's home and cells, Kid's cell, and all the manager's cell numbers."

"Does that include you?" He asked while scrolling through. He perked up slightly when he reached her contact information: Maka Albarn with a note that said Call any time~! He smiled then gtrabbed her shoulder, causing her to stop. "My phone has a camera. Let me get a picture of you for when you call or anything." He said.

"Sure thing!" She beamed happily. He clicked the button to upload the camera and got it ready. She was smiling in an almost shy way with a peace sign up. He took the picture and assigned it to its place and smiled with a nod. "Aren't you glad I made you do this?" She hummed as they resumed their walk home.

"Totally," He grinned back happily. And, in all actuality, he was glad. After all, how many other guys got to spend the day with their crushes, and then get to take a picture of them? Things were definitely looking up for the young albino in his opinion.

End

Confessions:

I'm back on my feet~! Friday morning, the day after my dental surgery, I actually felt tons better. I decided to wait until today to post to make sure it wasn't just a one-day thing. I decided to share my joy over my speedy recovery with all of you by updating early~!

The beginning scene of this chapter fulfilled two goals; One, I really wanted to use the word skivvies and that gave me the perfect excuse. Second, I wanted to humiliate Soul a little more (and it's totally canon so I can get away with it~!).

I really wanted to put in some fluff, so I did. I figured you'd all be down with that, right~?

Masumi is going to practically be the opposite of how I portray her in _Sonata_. I hope that works for all you guys too.

I really wanted to have Spirit over-reacting and Azusa just not in the mood to handle it; hence the poker scene. And, yes, Sid is Stein's partner in crime. Why? Because that's the kind of man he is!

Next Chapter:

Soul, after a pep talk from Liz, finally gets up the courage to ask Maka out on a date for the upcoming Sunday afternoon. Maka demands to have an emergency girl day the Saturday before her date to assure she gets the cutest outfit she can find. Spirit steps up to the plate and decides to set the ground rules for dating his daughter with a certain silver haired server he drunkenly sang 90's pop tunes with.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Also, forewarning you all now, I have never been on a date before. So I'm totally winging it here.

Chapter Six: Like that One Song by Blink-182, right?

"You can do this, Eater," Liz was saying over and over again with a big grin on her lips, massaging the young server's shoulders. He was currently sitting in the break room, waiting until 9 o'clock when he could clock in. So was his blonde associate and, because he'd reached a decision in the last week, he had gone to her for advise (like usual). She had squealed excitedly and jumped up and down like a four year old with ADHD who'd been given a whole bowl of candy right after nap time. She had then told him he had to go through with his plan, but he had to be sure he was completely confident or else he'd look like a wimp.

It was, in all actuality, his mother who had first put the thought in his head last Sunday evening upon returning home from buying a cell phone.

He had told his mother how nice it had been to get to spend time with Maka, as well as how she was probably the best boss in the whole wide world. She had smiled while sipping some tea she had prepared herself (a miracle, given her recluse-like behavior of the last few weeks) and chuckled lightly. "It sounds like you really like Maka, Soul," She hummed lightly. He knew this conversation was going to be serious because she actually used his name.

"Well, she's been really good to me. I mean, especially since she barely knows me and all," He said with a shrug, heading into the kitchen. He pulled a pitcher of fruit punch out and poured it into a large blue plastic cup before settling down at the table with his mother. He took a small sip and let out a quiet breath, delighted by the refreshing beverage.

"Oh, Soul, please don't try to give **me** of all people the lead around," His mother scoffed blandly. He jolted up slightly and looked at her in surprise. "You never had time to take a serious look into dating when we were financially well off. Your father was always putting pressure on you to focus on your piano lessons, on trying to get drafted into a college orchestra and harping at you to apply to as many of the prestigious schools around the world as you could. He always tried to push you and push you, never taking **your** feelings or thoughts into consideration. Things may be a little hard now, but you seem so much happier now. You're getting to experience all the things you never really got to before, and that makes me so very happy."

"Mother," He said gently, sincerely touched by her words. She, however, held up her hand and looked at him warmly.

"Don't interrupt, sweetie, it's unbecoming," She chided lightly. He smiled and relaxed back in his chair, nodding his head in apology. "When your father passed away and… Wes left us… I was worried about you. I was so afraid, so depressed at the thought that because of where we ended up you could never be happy. I'm thankful, however, that it seems I was wrong. That sweet Maka Albarn has given you a chance and lit a fire in you the likes of which I have never seen. And these last few days, after seeing this huge change in you, I'd been wondering what it was that was making you so happy. And now that I've seen it, it's motivated me to help lighten your load a little." She paused here to take a small sip of her tea. Talking so much after so long was leaving her rather parched. "And so, I'm going to start hunting for a job of my own starting tomorrow and will also look into maybe getting some grief counseling. The way I handled things was completely horrific."

He blinked a few times in surprise. Maka really did have the power to change anything into gold, didn't she? Her making him happy had led to his mother being happy and now his mother was beginning to resemble herself more and more. If crying wasn't so uncool, he would have wept with sheer joy over the whole thing.

"Now, back to what I was going to say," He mother said while locking his gaze, "and Maka. I have seen many a love-struck boy in my years, Soul; you may find it hard to believe, but your mother was once a real babe. I had to beat men of with an aluminum baseball bat! But that's a story for another day… Why don't you ask Maka out on a date next week?"

He blanched from both his mother using the words "babe" and "date". He hadn't even thought his mother knew one of those words! "I can't ask Maka out on a date! She's my boss; it'd be totally weird and awkward!" He declared after his thoughts and his mouth caught back up to one another.

She pouted at him, a small glare set on her features. "Soul, the girl came over on her day off, made you breakfast, helped clean the apartment, and went out shopping with you. If those aren't enough of hints to you that she wants you to make a move, than perhaps I'll help her make a big glittery sign telling you straight out to ask her out," Soul had never seen his mother dead-pan before in his life and the whole shock of it stunned him as effectively as a smack upside the head.

"What?" He asked dumbly. His mother's face scrunched in distaste for his small vocabulary but she decided to honor him with an answer.

"Soul, make a move to show Maka you're interested in a relationship before someone else sweeps her off her feet first. Is that easy enough to understand?"

"Yes, Mother," He answered lamely, still trying to catch up with everything. His mind had practically been blown by so many different things in the last few minutes, after all. He set his barely touch glass of juice down on the table and stood. "I'm going to take a shower now."

"Excellent idea," His mother beamed lightly. She sipped her tea quietly as he walked away. It was as his hand landed on the door knob she chimed back in again. "Oh, and Soulie-Bear?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"Seriously think about what I said about Maka; I'm not a blind old bat just yet and I do know what I'm talking about,"

"Thank you, Mother,"

"My pleasure, darling,"

And that conversation had led to him turning the idea over and over in his head. He decided his best option was to get a second opinion and since Liz had been best so far he figured to go to her again. And after getting her seal of approval, she began the prep games and helping him mentally prepare for it. "Okay, Soul, now go ask her before you clock in. It's better if you do it now while she's in the office reorganizing the files," She said while leaning in close, her grin growing larger. He took one last breath before standing and heading off.

Spirit was barking orders to the cooking crew as usual when he noticed the silver haired male heading toward the office. "Hey, Eater!" He snapped loudly, a scowl on his lips.

Soul tensed and paused, turning to the older male worriedly. "Yeah, Spirit?" He asked in a polite tone of voice.

"You better treat her like a real gentlemen; she's my whole world," He said with a faint blush on his cheeks. Soul's eyes widened at this. How the hell did Spirit know what he was planning to do? He hadn't thought Liz had been **that** loud.

"I was planning to already," He said with a nod. Azusa, who had been helping to get trays of food out faster in the role of server's assistant, nearly toppled over in alarm at this.

"What did you just say, Spirit Albarn?" She squeaked out with a crimson face, glaring at the male from over the window. Soul ignored the argument that started out between the pair to instead open the office door and poke his head in.

Maka was seated at the computer, looking over a few files in her hand and then turning her head back up to the screen. She perked up a bit and glanced his way. She smiled and set the papers aside while turning to face him. "Hey Soul. What's up?" She asked in her usual bubbly voice.

"Hey… I wanted to ask you something," He said nervously. She tilted her head a bit and he cleared his throat, forcing his nerves to relent a little bit. "Would you like to go on a date with me this Sunday?" He managed to force out.

She blinked a few times, the green of her eyes darkening to a more moss like tint. "As in tomorrow?"

"Uh… Yeah," He said, scratching the back of his head. He should have thought this out better! She may be busy tomorrow; it was one of her only days off, after all. He should have asked a few days ago, to make sure she didn't have any plans! Now she'd shoot him down, and his pride would be hurt, and then he'd-!

"I'd love to! When and where should we meet up?" She asked excitedly. Huh? What? His mind snapped back to the present and he stared at her. She was grinning like mad, a small pink tint to her cheeks, and her eyes were sparkling so brightly he knew the stars had to be put to shame.

"How about I pick you up at your place around noon? We can grab lunch, go to the mall, see a movie and maybe grab dinner too," He suggested, a smile coming to his lips as well. She said yes… She said yes… She, Maka Albarn, had just **said yes** to going on a date with him, Soul Eater Evans! This officially made his **year**!

"Sounds perfect!" She giggled lightly. He nodded and headed out, his head in the clouds with joy. Maka fell back into her chair grinning and giggling like a child but she didn't care! She had a date! She was going on a date with a guy she actually liked being around and found attractive! She blushed even more and giggled harder when she heard cheers in the kitchen area.

"She said yes! She said yes!"

"That's what I'm **talkin'** about, Eater! You are makin' me one **proud** servin' Mama!"

"The **Great Black*Star** approves of this whole-heartedly! IT HAS BEEN **BLESSED BY THE GODS**!"

"Damnit, Azusa, that was **in the eighth grade**! **Nobody even remembers that**!"

"I remember it, Spirit Albarn, **and I always will**!"

…

"How about this one?" Maka asked frantically, holding a black and white polka dot skirt up to herself. After work, she had grabbed Liz and Tsubaki and demanded they help her purchase a new outfit for her date. Patti didn't want to go with because she had just got a new video game so they'd parted ways with her at the apartment she and Liz shared.

"That looks kind of," Tsubaki started nervously.

"Tacky," Liz said with a scoff. Tsubaki flashed her a small look at the other scowled. "What? I'm not going to sugar-coat it for her! It would look like crap on her."

"Well that's the fifth one I've picked in this store alone that you've shot down," Maka sighed, flopping down on the small bench next to her friends. They had been to three other places where Liz had turned up her nose at practically every outfit the other blonde had picked out. "Why is this so hard? I find something I think is cute and you shoot it down. Normally you aren't like this when we shop."

"Well, you've never been on a date before, Maka," Liz stated. The other girl opened her mouth to speak but was cut off with a pointed look. "The would-be dates you went on with those weird kids in high school out of pity **do not** count. You've never gone on a date that you've **really** enjoyed before; is that better?"

"Marginally," Maka grumbled while sitting up and looking over at a few dresses. She tilted her head toward them. "How about a dress?"

"No, we've been clear; cute skirt and cute top are what you're going with for this," Liz said while standing up and walking off a bit. She reappeared with a spaghetti strapped tank top. It was white with a little bit of ruffles at the ends. "Like this. It's totally cute."

"I don't like spaghetti straps," Maka said nervously. She shifted and looked off to the side. "The short sleeves show my bra straps and that makes me feel uncomfortable."

"You… You don't own any strapless bras?" Liz gawked at her. Even Tsubaki looked at Maka in slight alarm and concern. Her cheeks flamed to life at this.

"No, I don't! I don't think they give enough support!" She glared at them, emerald spheres glinting with embarrassment. Liz shook her head, mumbling something unintelligible under her breath, but left the top with their dark haired associate and disappeared again. She returned this time with a long sleeved little scarlet jacket. The jacket would just cover the shoulders and breast area all around, but those were the only areas Maka had issue with. And with one long gold button in the front Liz decided it'd help accent the curve the younger woman had in the front. "Oh, that's really cute." Maka said, looking at the light jacket with a small smile.

Liz decided to go easy on the younger female when she started to get picky for one reason; Maka was really nervous. Liz had known the young hostess long enough to know she herself was starting to get that longing look when relationships and dates turned into the topic. Although Maka was too kind to say anything, Liz knew that listening to Tsubaki go on and on about how attentive Black*Star was on their date had left Maka feeling the desire even worse. During high school, Maka had been a cute girl and was in a lot of "nerdy" clubs; therefore, those were the kinds of boys that were attracted to her.

And this wasn't always a bad thing, either; a few of those kids had been totally cute and sweet to her. But Maka had never really liked them that way, so first dates never really went anywhere. Maka always said she wanted a guy she could have a real conversation with, a guy she could agree or argue with at any given moment. Hell, the girl had even admitted to now even dreaming of anything remotely perfect! She just wanted… Well, she wanted a guy like Soul Eater.

And, really, Liz couldn't blame her; he had a sassy attitude and a cute face to boot.

"There; problem solved," Liz beamed before turning back to where she'd previously been. Now, to offset the dark red of the jacket, she just needed something in a lighter color. She tapped her chin in thought until her eyes landed on a simple pink cotton skirt. She smirked widely at it. There was no way Maka would argue with that skirt; it was as long as the outfit Maka wore in high school and she had seen the female Albarn wear tighter, shorter garments since she graduated. She plucked it up and headed over, proudly brandishing the cloth. "I found your skirt! Now, shall we go on to looking at shoes?" She asked with a wicked grin.

Tsubaki and Maka both gulped; shoe shopping with Liz was terrifying.

…

Soul was starting to feel nervous quakes in his stomach as he approached the apartment complex Maka and her father lived at. His mother had tried to comb his hair down when he was leaving but, luckily enough, he'd manage to escape with his hair still as messily spiked as usual. He didn't want to make himself look like a total nerd, so he went with a more casual appearance for the day. He left his hair as it usual was, had slipped on a nice white button up under a black button up over shirt he'd yet to wear. Finished off with a pair of black jeans and his black work shoes he was feeling pretty nifty all together. Now, however, as he stood in front of Maka's door he was getting a little antsy.

What if Spirit answered the door, laughed right in his face, and told him to skedaddle?

He forced back his fear and knocked lightly. He heard a small amount of rustling and muttered talking. He heard a lot of things like "Yes, Papa," and "No, Papa," and "Papa, I highly doubt that's something I'll have to worry about!" It reminded him a lot of his own situation before leaving and he felt a little more relaxed about the whole thing. The door finally swung open and he was greeted by the sight of Maka Albarn.

Her hair had been curled lightly before being teased and tugged into a loose bun, honey colored locks spraying out from the clip like a freshly bloomed flower. He could tell it had been curled because of the little springs in a few of the longer strands. She was wearing a maroon colored jacket over a white top with a little ruffled trim with a pastel pink skirt. The whole outfit was finished off with a pair of plain white flats. She was wearing just link gloss on her lips and he was a little grateful; he had never liked girls who wore loads of make-up. "Hey," She said simply.

"Hey. You ready to go or did you need another minute?" He asked curiously. She blushed a bit, realizing he had heard everything that had been said, before she shook her head.

"No, I'm ready to go. Bye, Papa! I'll see you later tonight!" She called over her shoulder happily. There was a grumpy, grumbled reply before she giggled and slipped out, shutting the door quietly. "So where should we go for lunch?" She asked as they descended the stairs.

"There's a nice little café I saw a few blocks from work. It's called Blair's Brew; ever been there?" He suggested.

She shook her head. "Nope, never been there,"

"Awesome. It can be a new experience for the both of us," He said cheerfully. He then shifted a bit out of discomfort and cleared his throat. "This whole thing is a new experience for me too so sorry if it's not all that great. I just never really had time or interest in a relationship before so I'm not all that sure of what to do…"

"Soul," Maka said gently. He looked at her nervously, rubbing the back of his head a little bit. "This is my first real date too." She beamed at him.

He blinked then grinned lightly. "Then I guess this will be a great experience no matter what!" He teased lightly, poking her in the side. She squeaked and playfully swatted at his hand. He grinned and eased into matching steps with her happily as the conversation shifted to things they liked and didn't like about living in an area between the suburbs and the city portion of their home town.

…

Things were going pretty smooth so far, in Soul's (not quite expert) opinion. Blair's Brew had turned out to be a lot more interesting than he'd originally thought; all the servers were dressed in skimpy witch/warlock costumes and would flirt with anyone of the opposite sex they locked eyes with. Soul and Maka had both been left a mix of flustered and frustrated by the constant attention since they were two of the handful of customers present. "I thought that girl was literally trying to smother me with her boobs!" Soul gasped out once the exited.

Maka had laughed down right at that. "She probably could have too, with how huge they were!" She had agreed, which then in turn got him snickering. They had then walked to the nearest mall and decided to check out a few little shops. There was a roulette wheel set up outside of a newly opened toy shop that caught Soul's eye. There was a second booth next to it with three plastic bottles stacked atop one another in a pyramid.

"Wanna try your luck and win the lady a little prize, sir?" The young man at the stand offered. Soul raised an eyebrow as he and Maka approached more, their interest earned. "For one dollar, you get three tries. If you knock them over once you get a small prize." He gestured to a small box filled with stuffed animal key chains. "Knock them over twice and you get a medium sized prize." He indicated a second box with animals the size of a three week old puppy now. "And if you knock it over three times you get a large prize; we only have three of those and they're under this table." He said, knocking on the plastic surface he was stationed at. "So, what do you say?"

"Sure," Soul shrugged while fishing out his wallet. He pulled out a dollar and handed over. He made sure to take careful aim before tossing the small softball and knocking over all three containers. He grinned as the ball was returned to him and he did it twice more. "That wasn't so hard." He said cheerfully.

The clerk reached under the table and pulled out three large plush toys. One was a turquoise dolphin with a pair of glasses and a bow tie. The second plush toy was a large panda bear dressed in a blue and white cheerleading uniform. Lastly was a purple stuffed cat wearing a witch's hat with a collar in the shape of a jack-o-lantern. "Which one would you like, miss?" The young clerk asked cheerfully.

"I'll go with the cat," Maka mused lightly, gently taking it off the table. She grinned impishly at Soul. "It can serve as a reminder of lunch, what with the hat and all. Hell, I'll even call it Blair."

He laughed lightly at this and followed her, leaving a confused young man behind them. "So any idea to what movie you'd like to see? I just request we not see that new horror flick," He said calmly.

"You mean you **don't** want to see _Saw Thirteen_? What a disgrace!" Maka asked in mock astonishment. She then elbowed him teasingly. "Next you'll be saying you think it's ridiculous they made another remake of _Nightmare on Elm Street_."

"What can I say? I was raised on _Singin' in the Rain_ and _Chicago_," He said with a smile. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to relax his stance. "My family was big on musicals and stuff like that. Since we were well-known for our skills with musical instruments we were pretty much lived off that kind of stuff."

"What instrument do you play?" She asked curiously.

"I used to play the piano but I don't anymore," He said. He remembered having to sell that little slice of his life to help pay of his father's gambling debts toward the end, when the only things they had left were priceless family heirlooms or knick-knacks filled with sentimental value. "We can't afford a piano at this point and I wouldn't have been able to fit my old one into the apartment. Selling it ended up being my only option, really." He confessed with a small sigh.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," He could hear the sympathy in her voice and he was a little surprised he was comforted by it. All this time he'd been running away from sympathy because he always thought it was just another form of pity; maybe he'd really been wrong about it the whole time. "I hope that you can get a new one soon; and, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear you play when you do." She smiled at him sweetly and he felt his heart pick up and skip a beat simultaneously. "I don't know much about music, but I'd still enjoy the experience."

"You're a weird one, you know that?" He grinned lightly, draping an arm over her shoulders lightly. She eased in a little closer to him, nuzzling the stuffed animal at the same time. They both had goofy grins plastered on as they approached the theater, still debating what flick they'd be paying to see.

…

They ended up deciding on watching the newest kid-friendly animated flick. "That was a lot better than anticipated," Maka said as they walked out. Soul nodded, carrying their bag of popcorn. He lightly shook the bag, shuffling around the contents.

"I just wish the popcorn was a little more buttery," He stated with a small chuckle. Maka nodded in agreement. "If they aren't going to butter it well enough they should at least make sure to keep the butter distributors working."

"They certainly aren't too good when it comes to that service," She stated as they headed out into the setting sun. She smiled lightly at the slight breeze in the air, hugging "Blair" closer to herself. She was really enjoying this whole thing. During the movie, Soul would occasionally lean in and make crude, naughty jokes about the animated creatures on the screen. It always made her giggle, and earned them dirty looks from a few parents, but she hadn't really cared. "So, where should we go for dinner?"

"Hmm. I'm not actually too hungry. How about you?" He asked curiously. She shook her head a bit and he nodded. "Let's get some ice cream instead. I think I saw a place back by Blair's Brew."

"Ice cream sounds so good right now," Maka sighed happily as they started walking off. She was surprised she didn't mind walking everywhere. She had known that Soul didn't have a car, meaning they'd be hoofing it, and she'd never experienced that on a date. Walking made it easier to talk though; whenever she was with someone and they were driving, she tried to stay quiet so that the other person could focus on the road. Plus, conversation with Soul came second nature and was so much fun.

"Ah, so you are a sweets junkie after all! No wonder you were more interested in the Reese's Pieces than the popcorn!" He laughed lightly. She blushed and grinned back at him.

"I rarely ever indulge in sweets so when I do I make sure to enjoy it. I have to keep up my girlish figure, after all," She stated proudly. Maka would never admit it, but even she fell victim to the propaganda that men only liked the stick figured woman seen on the silver screen. She tried to stay on a regular work-out schedule and a lot of the time, when she thought about it, she would feel immature for thinking that way. When she met the right guy, he'd accept her as she was.

This led to another reason Soul made her feel so comfortable; he thought the standards set by the media and the public was hilarious.

"Oh, don't I know it! I have let myself go, girlfriend!" He sighed, flipping his hand down and speaking with a fake lisp. Maka laughed loudly at this, hiding her face in the stuffed cat's head to try and muffle herself a little bit more. He grinned lightly at his own joke.

"You need to stop that! My cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling and my sides are starting to hurt from laughing!" Maka chided teasingly. He grinned and shrugged.

"I can't help it; I'm a comedy wizard," He said cheerfully. He then rested one arm over Maka's shoulders. "But I'm glad you've been enjoying yourself as much I have. I was worried you'd end up wanting to have a root canal rather than spend any more time with me."

"Why would you think that?"

"Oh, just because my dad used to call me a 'social mess in dire need of cleaning up'. Then again, I was the kid that rode down the stairs in a large silver pot declaring that I was going to go and start a naval strike against the French at a swanky dinner party once so I guess I can see where he'd get that thought from," He said, tapping his chin with his free hand as he thought. He then blinked a few times. "Now that I think about it, I was a nightmare when I was a little kid! No wonder my dad hated me!"

"I doubt your father hated you," Maka said sadly, a frown coming to her lips. He blinked a bit at her then looked off to the side. He didn't want to ruin the mood with talk of his late father so he decided he'd have to think of a new topic to segway into quickly.

"I guess so. Anyway, have you ever been to Hawaii?" He asked curiously. He knew it was probably the worst segway in the history of trying to turn a conversation around but it was the best he could do right now. She smiled at him and he was grateful; she was going to let him get away with it.

"No, I haven't. I'd love to go someday, though. What about you?"

"Nope. My brother was the one who went on all the trips; I liked staying at home and practicing my piano. Plus planes freak me out," He said with a slight shudder. Maka grinned mischievously at him.

"Oh really? So even the big, bad Mr. Soul Eater is afraid of something," She hummed in clear amusement. He scowled a bit and snorted.

"What about you? There's gotta by something that freaks you out," He stated in a matter of fact tone of voice. She twitched and looked off to the side, mumbling something under her breath. He raised an eyebrow at this. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"Clowns, okay?" She huffed with a pout. He snorted a bit and she glared up at him. "Clowns are just plain creepy, okay? They wear all that make-up, and those fake noses, and… and… And how do they fit that many out of them into those tiny little cars? It just isn't natural!" She declared bravely. Soul only laughed even harder at her logic. "Oh stop laughing! Jerk." She mumbled sulkily.

"Sorry, it's just kinda cute. I expected it to be something a little more… I don't know… adult, given how mature you usually are," He explained. She blinked a bit and tilted her head at him. "Did that sound as stupid as I think it did?" He asked nervously.

"No, it didn't. And thank you," She smiled as they reached the little ice cream parlor. He held the door for her and looked at the bubbly young female clerk.

"Hello! What can I get for you tonight?" She beamed brightly. Soul looked at Maka and indicated the clerk with a tilt of his head.

"I'd like two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a waffle cone with chocolate sprinkles, please," Maka said cheerfully. The young woman prepared the treat quickly and with a smile, handing it off to the eagerly waiting girl.

"I'll go with two scoops of orange sherbet in a waffle cone, please," Soul said, grinning at Maka. She had already picked the perfect table for them in the back and gotten settled in. He took his ice cream and paid before heading over to her. "How is it?"

"Delicious," She hummed in pure contentment. He smiled back and started enjoying his own. They enjoyed the silence and each other's presence while devouring their dessert. Finally, as they both finished up, Maka stood and approached him. "I owe you a little thank you for showing me to such a wonderful time tonight." She beamed cheerfully, leaning closer to him a little bit.

Soul would always remember that his first kiss tasted like chocolate sprinkles.

End

D'aw~! Fluff overload~! I was originally going to include some chatter between Soul and the ice cream girl but changed my mind for one reason; I was going to use one of my friends as the clerk but it was really late in the evening when I got to that part and didn't want to ask. (You missed out, chica! What now?) Anyway, sorry this took so long but between this and Sonata, both chapters were long. So I hope this was worth the wait~!

Next Chapter:

Just when things are starting to look up for Soul "Eater" Evans, another whirlwind crashes into his life; his big brother Wesley and his newfound wife. Maka decides to plan a fun day out on a Sunday to try and cheer Soul back up; karaoke proves to be a strange cross between a good and bad idea. Stein learns that sleuthing is not one of Spirit's strong suits; being mature about his daughter wanting a relationship is another weakness of his.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Also, Miyaow-NOT inspired me with her story to try and show Medusa in a different light than usual so I wanted to give her a little shout out from gratitude~!

Chapter Seven: The Start of a Storm

Soul had been on cloud nine for about three weeks now. He and Maka's first date had been such a success that they'd gone on a second date and decided, after that, to officially be exclusive to one another. With their newfound boyfriend-girlfriend status, Soul had thought he'd die of sheer joy or be smothered by their equally excited friends. Hell, Liz had nearly shattered her eardrum with the joy-filled squeal she released when he first told her! Not only was work going well, but he had been accepted by the rest of the group and was dating the first girl he ever made a connection with.

Not only that, but his mother had gotten a secretary job working for a law firm. She explained that he boss was a strange man, but he was also a good man and was very flexible with working her schedule out so she could be comfortable. She had started attending a grief counseling group on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to help her keep her head above the water. And, to top it all off, his mother was also learning how to cook; a huge bonus because neither she nor Soul had a clue how to even boil water.

All in all, things were going swimmingly.

Tonight, he'd gotten off at five o'clock and Maka was going to be joining them for dinner. "I am going to warn you," He said as they walked down the street, hand in hand, "that my mother and I aren't that great at cooking. Therefore, if it tastes like chalk, you have the right to mock us openly about it. We'll never learn any other way."

She giggled lightly at this. "I wouldn't go that far. If you want, I can make the meal," She offered. He held up a hand and shook his head.

"One, you're our guest. And second, we need to learn somehow," He grinned lightly. She smiled and nodding, respecting his decision. See, this was what he loved about her! She didn't mind offering her assistance but didn't get all butt-hurt if you turned her down! "It shouldn't be too bad; my mom's been following these recipes in these cook books she bought pretty religiously. I just like to over exaggerate."

"Don't I know it," Maka agreed, rolling her eyes at him lightly. He chuckled as he pulled out his keys and started to work at the lock. He pushed open the door and peered inside, tensing up and freezing at the two figures seated at the kitchen table with his mother.

Soul recognized his older brother the second he saw the shock of white hair. Wesley was sitting there, a small smile on his lips, with his cardinal colored eyes resting on the woman beside him. He was wearing a regular black T-shirt and a pair of dark blue denim jeans. It was strange to see his brother in something so casual, but he decided to keep that thought to himself.

Next to Wes sat an unfamiliar young woman. She had long purple hair that flared out a bit. It was paired with bright golden eyes, much like a cat, and a smile that just screamed that she was a flirt. She was wearing a tight black spaghetti strap dress that accented all of her curves. She perked up and grinned even wider when she spotted he and Maka hovering in the doorway. "You must be Soul!" She cheered happily, standing up.

Wes and Masumi stood as well, though they both had very different expressions on their faces. Wes was smiling still, eyes filled with excitement, while Masumi had a somewhat tense little frown on her features. "Soul, please come and meet Wesley's wife," She said in a polite tone of voice.

He and Maka headed over, though Soul kept a guarded expression on the whole time. Either ignorant or choosing to ignore the tense vibe, Maka was smiling innocently at both newcomers. "Soul, I'd like you to meet Blair," Wes stated happily, gesturing to her with one hand.

Blair darted around the table and hugged Soul ferociously, his face pressed right into her cleavage. His face turned bright red from a mix rage and embarrassment while Maka let out an annoyed huff. "It's so nice to meet you, little brother~!" She sang happily.

"Excuse you!" Maka hissed lightly, yanking Soul free with one good jerk. He stumbled a little bit but quickly righted himself with Maka's help. "Are you okay?" She asked as his natural color slowly crawled back into place.

"Yeah. Thanks, Maka," He said with a smile in her direction. She grinned back happily and gave a little salute with the hand that wasn't resting on his forearm. "Well, since we're doing introductions… Wesley, meet my girlfriend, Maka Albarn." He said happily, forcing his resentment toward his brother away.

"It's a pleasure," Maka said brightly while performing a quick, polite curtsy. Masumi's eyes lit up with joy at the gesture while Wes blinked in slight surprise. He then smiled proudly.

"How wonderful, Soul. I never thought you'd meet a young girl that you fancied, what with you always seeming to be avoiding members of the opposite sex," He commented merrily.

"Yeah, well, Maka's something special," He said with a little smirk at the young girl. She blushed and giggled, easing a little closer to him. Blair trotted back over to her previous spot, settled back into her chair, and then burrowed into Wesley's shoulder eagerly.

"I know what you mean. It was love at first sight when I saw Blair working at her café," He said, draping an arm over her shoulders. The way they looked at one another made Soul feel a little uncomfortable. He and Maka didn't make those kinds of googly eyes at one another, did they? He made a mental note to ask Liz about it the next time he saw her.

"Is it called Blair's Brew, by chance?" Maka asked casually. The indigo haired woman beamed at her proudly.

"Why, yes it is! Have you been there? Next time you come in I'll make sure you get a wonderful little discount since you're practically family!" Blair beamed proudly. Masumi had disappeared to the kitchen by this point. Soul noticed this but decided he'd talk to her in private later; instead, he and Maka settled next to one another across from Wes and Blair.

"So did you two come to visit?" Soul asked curiously. Masumi walked over, seeming suddenly anxious, and set two cups of tea down for the pair. "Thanks, Mother." He said, locking eyes with her for a second. He saw the look of discomfort and worry there immediately.

"Well, actually, Soul," Wes began as he took a sip from his own cup, "we were hoping to stay here for a little while. You see, Blair and I are saving up for a house right now and it isn't easy. We've discussed it and thought it'd be better if we stayed here, split the costs here with you and mother, and started saving up. Of course, I still need to find a job and Blair has to get back into the groove of things at her café so it will take us a bit of time but it certainly wouldn't be forever."

"Are you kidding me?" Soul snapped while jumping to his feet. The older sibling regarded him with his usual composure while Maka, Masumi and Blair watched with concern and confusion. "You** run off** after dad dies with some girl you **just met** and leave Mother and I with **all the debts** and expect **to just be let back in like nothing happened**?" He exploded angrily.

"Mother already said that it was okay; I was just informing you of the situation," His brother answered peacefully. Soul's jaw nearly fell off as he turned to look at his mother, betrayal clearly written on his features.

"Soulie-Bear, please don't look at me like that," She sighed lightly with a frown. He at least had the sense to close his mouth but left the horror where it was. "Your brother is still your brother; he's still one of my little chickadees. Do you expect me to throw him out on the streets while he and his wife try to get everything settled for themselves?" She asked delicately.

"No, I don't; I do expect that you treat them like adults! She had to be living somewhere before they got married so why don't they just go live there? Sure, it's cheaper for them to live here with us, but we don't have that much room here! We've only got one bedroom as is, Mother!" He snapped before turning on his heels and storming out the door. He slammed it as roughly as he could on his exit, causing a picture on the wall to fall and shatter.

Maka stood up slowly and let out a sigh. "Masumi, please start working on dinner. It's been a pleasure seeing you both and I hope we can get to know each other well soon," She said cheerfully to the newlyweds. Blair plastered on a small, worried smile while Wes tipped his head in good will. "I'll go get Soul and see if I can turn his mood around; at the very least I'll try to make him a little more bearable so we can at least enjoy a somewhat peaceful meal." She announced before calmly heading back out with a careful shut of the door.

Soul ended up settling himself on a small bench a few feet from their apartment building near a large weeping willow. His head was hung and his face was burrowed in his hands. Maka approached him with her fingers laced behind her. "That was totally uncool, huh?" He asked without looking up. She smiled a bit and settled into the spot next to him. She lifted one hand and then bopped him lightly on the noggin. He looked up at her through his ashy bangs.

"Maka chop," She explained simply with a straight face. He blinked a bit then chuckled and sat up a bit straighter. She grinned and rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him with an eager glint to her eyes. "Was it super effective?"

"You really are a weird one, you know that?" He laughed lightly before shifting one of his arms so that it snaked around her waist. She eased in closer and cuddled into him happily.

"Yeah, well, so are you," She said in a teasing tone of voice. She looked out toward the parking lot and then looked back up at him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I guess I'll have to be," He sighed lightly. He shifted and let his head tilt sideways so that his forehead was against hers. "It's just not fair to me, you know? I've been trying so hard all this time to make things for Mother and me as good as we can get. And then Wes has to show up and just… Ruin it. I used to admire him when we were younger, was jealous of how talented he was, but now… Now I don't know if I'm horrified by the decisions he made or jealous that I didn't think of them myself." He closed his eyes as he let his words just tumble out. He hadn't really been honest to himself about all his pent-up emotions but he could with Maka; he knew she wouldn't judge him. "My dad died which cut him out of everything, Wes ran off with Blair and just let everything that had to do with our family fall out of his lap, and Mother… Well, Mother was emotionally unwell and couldn't handle the full gravity of what was going on. That put everything on me, made me have to grow up and step up. And I am grateful, because I got to meet you because of it, but I guess I just wish I'd had a little bit of help when shit first hit the fan."

"And you are completely justified to feel that way," She said gently. This caused his eyes to snap back open and greet the small smile she was wearing. "It wasn't particularly fair of your brother to abandon everything on you like that. But do you really want to live your life hating him because of one thing he did? You're too good a person to turn your own flesh and blood away just because he made one mistake that cost you quite a bit of discomfort. You aren't that cold and you aren't that selfish, Soul Evans."

He smiled and leaned in, lightly kissing her. He earned a merry little purr from her in response. "You're way too smart sometimes, Miss Albarn," He hummed lightly. She grinned and draped her arms around his neck.

"Shut up and kiss me again,"

…

By the time Sunday rolled around, Soul was contemplating mass murder. Blair and Wes were in that honeymoon stage of their relationship and they tended to get… frisky at night. Soul had surrendered his room to the pair and ended up moving his mattress into the living room with his mother. Sadly, the walls weren't very thick and he was not blessed with his mother's ability to sleep through anything; he was a very light sleeper.

And every night **he**. **Could**. **Hear**. **Everything**.

Maka, noting how haggard her boyfriend was getting, suggested they spend a fun day with their group. He ended up staying the night at her house Saturday evening (sleeping on the couch because he knew that Spirit would have a cow if they were alone together) and finally got a full night's rest. After that and one of Maka's delicious breakfasts, he was ready to face the day with renewed vigor and excitement.

They all ended up agreeing on going out to karaoke. Soul had been awed at how well Tsubaki could sing when she belted out a heartfelt version of Mandy Moore's hit _Crush_. He nearly busted a gut when Patty and Black*Star decided to tag-team the song _Girlfriend_ by Avril Lavigne (both off key, making ridiculous faces and openly mocking themselves); he never knew that Black*Star could hit those kinds of notes without taking a direct hit to the coconuts. When Kid and Liz picked Moulin Rouge's popular ballad _Elephant Love Medley_ together, he finally understood why exactly the blonde had told him she found relationships "complicated" where she herself was considered.

Maka was flipping through the book when her eyes lit up brightly. "Hey, Soul, go you know this song?" She asked curiously, pointing. He leaned over, peering over her shoulder, and grinned at her.

"Yeah, but it's your turn to sing," He pointed out. She put on a small pout.

"But we could still sing it together," She stated hopefully, keeping the pout right where it was. She knew he was a sucker for that face.

"But this is a song with one singer," He answered back.

"Black*Star and Patty sang a one-singer song together," She stated with a small grin. She did have a valid point with that argument. "We can take turns singing the lyrics; one of us starts and then the next one sings. Easy as that."

"Alright, but who should go first?" He asked as he peered at the lyrics. She tapped her chin in thought and he smiled at the adorable expression. "You go first. It is technically your track to pick, after all."

"Okay," She smiled as they both stood. Maka shuffled through the playlist tracks until she found the song and clicked it. She jumped up on the stage with Soul and took the offered microphone as the music started up. The lyrics lit up the small television screen mounted a few feet above their heads.

_I love you Moa.  
>You're way too young for me<br>But I don't mind._

He had heard Maka hum and mumble lyrics under her breath but he'd never heard her sing. He had to admit that he liked the sound quite a bit. It was a soft tone, a pitch somewhere between soprano and alto. It did lean a little more toward the soprano area but what he loved the most that it was purely Maka. It was the best way to describe it, really.

_Never mind what your girlfriends say  
>Deep inside I'm quite okay.<br>I may have fooled around once or twice  
>But I really need you.<br>It's not like I'm the only guy  
>O I know how you make them cry.<br>So let's start by being friends  
>And let this friendship never end.<em>

Soul twirled Maka around as he sang, making sure she was safe and secure in his arms. He dipped her, grinning impishly at the embarrassed little giggle and blush he received for his actions. He lifted her back up and twirled her again. "Eek! Soul, stop! I can't dance and I have terrible balance!" She yelped out quietly. She then turned her attention to the screen, the next batch of lyrics popping up.

_I knew you years ago.  
>What I was<br>I don't know  
>But let's just say it's love.<em>

Maka grinned as she looked out at their friends while singing her part. It was then she noticed a splotch of familiar maroon hair situated in the very back of the room. Her jaw nearly dropped but she kept up an excellent front. Her Papa had honestly followed her here? It took all her will power not to charge over there and interrogate him.

_Singing oah  
>I love you Moa.<br>You're way too young for me  
>But I don't mind.<br>Don't say maybe  
>Just be my lady.<br>No need to hesitate  
>Cuz you'll be fine.<em>

Soul and Maka sang the chorus lines together eagerly. Noticing the slight disturbance in Maka's feelings, Soul followed her gaze and spotted her father. He had on sunglasses to hide his eyes and was holding up a newspaper, just barely peering over the top to watch them. Maybe if he'd remembered to wear a hat (or, Hell, a wig!) he'd have gotten away with it. Then again, Soul liked to cause trouble and Spirit was giving him the perfect chance.

_So tell me what I want to hear  
>No wait, let's just leave it there.<br>You know I'm not good for you.  
>God I don't know what to do.<em>

"Hey," He whispered softly during the musical breaks. Maka glanced at him curiously. "Wanna give your Papa a show worth watching?"

Maka blinked a bit then smiled. She'd always been Daddy's perfect little angel; the thought og getting to cause a bit of trouble? It was sickeningly appealing. "Sure,"

An evil little smirk. "Follow my lead,"

_I liked you from the start.  
>You melt my icy heart<br>And now it's burning up._

Soul shifted Maka so that they were swaying a bit, his arm around her waist. It was a familiar, comfortable position for them but not to Spirit; he'd never really seen them when they got cuddly. Maka let one of her arms slip around his neck and just hang there lazily.

_Singing oah  
>I love you Moa.<br>You're way too young for me  
>But I don't mind.<br>Don't say maybe  
>Just be my lady.<br>No need to hesitate  
>Cuz you'll be fine.<em>

Liz and the rest of their group, unaware of what was going on, had decided to start letting out catcalls and whistles. Soul and Maka both grinned wider at one another at this. Unknowingly, their friends were helping to agitate the young girl's father across the room. They could both see his fists clenched into the paper and a few tears starting to drip free from beneath his sunglasses.

_Don't go away  
>You're what's left of me.<br>I once believed that you would save my soul  
>But if you saw me down<br>Crying secretly  
>Would you hold my hand and never let it go?<em>

Maka let her head cuddle into Soul's shoulder comfortably as they sang and swayed. She liked teasing her father, yes, but she also liked getting to be close like this. They weren't usually very affectionate in public but when they were she relished in it. To her, it was like they were making sure other people knew they belonged to one another; and she really wanted people to know that Soul was no longer on the market.

_I'm singing oah  
>Cuz I love you Moa.<br>You're way too young for me  
>But I don't mind.<br>Don't say maybe  
>Just be my lady.<br>No need to hesitate  
>Cuz you'll be fine.<em>

Spirit could feel his eye twitching at the sight. That… That… That creep had his arms wrapped around his precious little Maka! And his Maka… His sweet angel… She was cuddling him back! And that smile, that blush! He may have agreed to Soul dating his daughter, but he was starting to regret that decision. What if they… If they… Did the… He couldn't even bring himself to think it!

He passed out, foaming at the mouth with tears streaming from his face. The thump of him hitting the floor went unnoticed by the surrounding customers.

_Singin oah  
>I love you Moa.<br>You're way too young for me  
>But I don't mind.<br>Don't say maybe  
>Just be my lady.<br>No need to hesitate  
>Cuz you'll be fine. (1)<em>

…

The young boy in charge of the counter of the karaoke club shifted uncomfortably. "Um… M-Mother?" He asked shyly, turning and twitching a bit more.

The woman he addressed, currently laying under the cappuccino machine with a toolbox nearby, was grumbling to herself. A huge black spray of oil splattered all over her green apron and she let out a sharp cry. "Damnit all!" She snapped while standing. Her usually pale face was covered in oil smudges, making her honey colored eyes stand out more. Streaks of the substance had gotten into her light blonde hair. "Ragnarok, I told you to stop playing with poker on the computer in the back and get in here! I don't pay you to sit around and take up space!" She yelled over her shoulder into a small window. She then let out a sigh and looked at the young man. "Yes, Chrona, what's wrong?" She kept her tone calm and even.

"M-Mother, isn't th-that S-Sp-Spirtit Albarn seizing on the f-f-floor?" He asked nervously, pointing at where the other was located. She peered over and, upon seeing he was right, smacked her forehead with a small groan. "I-I don-don't kn-know how to ha-handle th-th-this, Mother." He mumbled anxiously, chest starting to heave in fear. She lightly rested on hand atop his lavender colored hair and smiled a bit.

"It's okay, Chrona," She said carefully. She then picked up the phone, dialed a number and tapped her nails on the counter impatiently.

"Franken Stein residence," The bored male voice droned out. She felt her eye twitch a bit; she hated having to call this guy for help but she didn't have any choice. She didn't want to ask Chrona to help since he'd have a breakdown and she needed Ragnarok to do his job of fixing the damned coffee maker.

"Stein, it's Medusa," She said blandly. She heard him let out a small chuckling noise and decided to cut things as short as she could. "Spirit had another episode in my club; he's freaking Chrona out so come and get him. And as long as you don't do it here, do whatever you want afterwards. Don't ask, don't tell like usual." She said before hanging up.

That was one crisis averted for the day.

End

_(1) Oah_ by Alexander Rybak. God, I love that Norwegian hunk~!

Notes time~!:

More fluff for all your support. Hope you liked it~!

I love Medusa; she makes me laugh so hard with how sane she is compared to the heroes of the series. Also, I think under different circumstances she could have been a good mother to Chrona. Therefore, expect more of her later.

Also, I've decided to pair Liz and Kid up. And, as a result, have come up with another crack pairing I'm going to totally ship; PattyxChrona~!

Also, I've decided I want to do something new for you all. On Sunday's, after work, I'll be logging on and staying on until late into the evening. I'll keep the browser open in a window, refreshing it every fifteen minutes or so, while working on my fanfics; all day Sunday, I will be taking questions if you PM me. And these questions can be anything from my updating plan for my new ideas (though I can't promise any of that will not be subject to change, depending on my work and school schedules), spoilers for my current fanfics (available solely on request through PM; don't want to tell everyone, after all), personal questions (though there will be some discretion when I answer those), or even requests for things you'd like to see me write. I've been thinking of doing a collection of drabbles based on words and would like to get a list going, so feel free to offer me help with that too. I'll be starting this up as of this Sunday~! Hope to hear from ya'all~!

Next Chapter:

Maka and Soul go on their third date and decide to spend the day teaching each other things the other doesn't know; meaning Soul gets to learn how to ice skate and Maka gets to learn how to dance. Liz starts to wonder if maybe she herself should start a relationship, considering everyone around her is suddenly pairing off. Masumi isn't too sure of her opinion of Wesley's wife; she is, however, hearing wedding bells for another one of her children.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Eight: Kitties Aren't the Only Fluffy Things I Like

It had been about three weeks since Wes and Blair fell into their laps and Soul was not as dissatisfied as he thought he'd be. Wes had landed himself a job at a ritzy private academy giving snobby rich kids private lessons. Blair's business was going pretty well and she did help out with rent as promised. She even bought she and Wes their own groceries so that there'd be no arguments over that either. His mother was still doing well with her therapy and handling her job at the law firm well; she did occasionally butt heads with Blair but Soul just assumed that was because Masumi never got to **formally** meet the girl before she joined the family. His relationship with Maka was still going swimming.

He was, however, nervous about how things would turn out tonight; they were having a family dinner at the Albarn residence. Masumi and Spirit had not yet met, despite Soul and Maka being together for a month and a half now; tack on Wes and his rather… Eccentric, for lack of a better word, wife and Soul was a bundle of nerves. Spirit watched he and Maka like a hawk whenever they were at work or when Soul would go over to spend the night. Soul guessed his actions at the karaoke club hadn't helped much, but he just really didn't want to give Spirit a reason to hate him; Spirit might break him and Maka up if this dinner didn't go over well!

"Soul, please," Masumi sighed heavily as she turned into the apartment complex the Albarn's lived in. She had purchased herself a car about a week ago because, after a homeless drunk urinated on her shoes, she adamantly refused to ride the bus any longer. "We are not a bunch of immature children; we know to behave ourselves and not embarrass you too terribly tonight. After all, you want to look cool for your girlfriend and her dad." Soul used all his will power not to flinch; since **when** did his **mother** know the meaning of the word **cool**?

It was almost too much for the poor albino to take.

"And Blair will be on her best behavior too nyah~!" The purple haired woman suddenly joined in from the back. Blair was the one Soul had been mostly concerned about to be honest, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. A fight might break out and he was in no mood for a fight. He simply nodded quietly, watching his brother and sister-in-law make googly eyes at one another through the rear view mirror.

'_Why don't cars come with barf bags like planes do?'_ Soul lamented as his mother found them a nice little parking space in the guest area. He had told her which building number it was so she could get them close but not the actual apartment number. He figured that way he could make sure everyone was behaving themselves on the way to the apartment as well, since he'd have to lead the way. He slipped out of the car after it was off and looked up at the building. He could see Maka's bedroom window from where they were and smiled when it flickered off; she must have been watching for them. _'God she's adorable.'_ He thought cheerfully.

"So what exactly is this Spirit guy like?" Masumi asked as they walked along the path to the stairs. Maka's apartment was on the second floor.

"Well, Spirit's a really nice guy. He's a widower and he's a little protective of Maka. It took a lot for him to give me the okay to date her," He said thoughtfully. Although it wasn't all completely true, it also wasn't a complete lie and left him without feeling any guilt. "But he sees that I don't want to hurt her and he trusts me." He said as he knocked on the door lightly.

Maka opened the door and greeted them with her usual cheerful grin. "Hey you guys, come on in," She said, stepping aside eagerly for them. Soul headed in first and looked at her with a lazy grin, giving her a once over. She was wearing a simple white dress with black polka dots all over it. Her hair was tied back in a single ponytail with a magenta ribbon. She wasn't wearing shoes but did have on a pair of white ankles socks.

'_She's so ridiculously adorable sometimes,'_ He thought as Maka and Masumi hugged in greeting. He spotted Spirit in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot. They locked eyes for a moment before a small smile came to the other man's lips and he walked over. "Thanks for having us over tonight, Spirit." Soul said while offering his hand. The other man shook it happily and nodded.

"It's our pleasure. And this lovely woman must be your mother, correct?" He asked with a smile, offering his hand to Masumi.

"Masumi Evans. It's wonderful finally getting to meet you, Mr. Albarn; your daughter is just a delight!" She gushed happily. Maka giggled and blushed proudly at the praise.

"Maka makes me very proud, and please call me Spirit; after all, we may very well be in-laws someday," He said cheerfully. Maka and Soul both blushed bright crimson at the remark. Blair and Wes both giggled lightly to themselves.

"Papa!" Maka yelped lightly. Soul shifted a bit and tried his best to keep a cool look on his face. He was surprised by how much harder to do it was with the blush marring his face.

"I agree whole-heartedly! Soul needs a sweet, intelligent young woman like Maka to keep him grounded and on the right path of life. Not to mention I would like to have a whole boat full of grandbabies sometime soon," She trailed slowly, pinning both her son's with a devious look. Unlike Soul, Masumi wasn't as aware of Blair and Wesley's very… Active, for lack of a better word, attraction to one another. Wes let out a nervous chuckle while his younger sibling sent him a small warning glare.

"Well, give us a little more time, Mother," Wes stated amicably. Masumi let out a small huff before looking around the apartment and becoming visibly more pleasant.

"You have a lovely home," She mused lightly. Spirit smiled and indicated the kitchen table. The four followed him while Maka headed to the kitchen to get drinks for everyone. "We have cola, fruit punch and water. Which would you all prefer?"

"Cola for me," Soul stated cheerfully.

"Fruit punch, please," Masumi giggled.

"I'll have whatever Blair's having," Wes stated simply.

"I want fruit punch too!" Blair cheered. Maka nodded and prepared the drinks, as well as two for herself and Spirit, before heading over and handing them out. She settled in next to Soul and smiled, their fingers brushing lightly when she handed over the cup. The other three members of the Evans' family smiled but didn't vocalize any comments.

"I hope you're all hungry; I made a honey baked ham, homemade mash potatoes, prepared some corn on the cob and baked fresh rolls. Maka and I have been in the kitchen all day; when we host, we go a little overboard," He chuckled as he pulled the ham from the oven. Maka had gotten back up and gone to go grab plates for everyone.

The heavenly aroma had all four Evans fighting off drool (except Soul, who sorta forgot to keep it to himself). "Oh! And I baked a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for dessert as well!" Maka announced happily as she set the table with plates and silverware. All four individuals hummed loudly in excitement of the prospect; it had been a while since they'd had such a feast placed before them!

Spirit chuckled proudly. "That's my girl; always letting her sweet tooth lead her decisions," He teased as he set the rolls and a dish of butter on the table. Maka giggled in response as she headed over with a platter with the corn on the cob on it, followed again by Spirit with the bowl of mashed potatoes and the dish of gravy. Maka returned to her seat as well as her father returned, setting the ham in the center and getting out the carving knife to begin distributing.

Needless to say, everyone was stuffed and happy by the time the meal was over.

Wes and Blair left relatively early because they both had work in the morning while Masumi decided to stay and get to know the father of the woman she decided would marry her youngest. While she and Spirit sat at the table together, sipping coffee and sharing stories of their younger years, Maka and Soul had snuck to the patio to vegetate and digest their meal. They sat next to one another in the large blue plastic chairs her father had put out there with their fingers laced together in a simple, lazy manner.

"So, do you have any big plans tomorrow?" Soul asked calmly, turning his head to look at Maka. She tilted her head to meet his gaze and gave a shrug.

"Not sure yet. I do have this boyfriend I've been with for almost two months that will probably want to hang out; he's one of those cool guys, you know what I mean?" She asked with a small grin. He grinned back at the teasing tone she used.

"Hmm. Sounds like an asshole; you should totally dump him and hang with me instead," He said in an equally teasing tone. She giggled and shook her head at him. "So we still on for our plans tomorrow?"

"Duh. I am way too excited to see you fall on your butt to flake out the night before!" She laughed excitedly. He grinned at her with a devilish glint to his features. "Oh, and what did you decide on anyway? You never told me." She said eagerly, his wicked expression not seeming to affect her in the least.

"And I'm not planning to. It's going to be a surprise," He said cheekily. Maka tried pouting but all she got was a laugh in response. "Don't try to pull that on me! I am immune to your pouts now, doll!" He grinned.

Maka leaned over a bit and lightly kissed him. He perked up at that and he eased into it. His free hand slipped up to lightly caress her cheek while the other gave her hand in his grasp an affectionate squeeze. She let out a light purring sound and batted her lashes at him when they broke away. "Are you still immune to that?" She whispered softly.

"Not quite," He responded light before leaning in for another kiss. Maka was only too happy to oblige.

"I can't remember the last time Soul was as happy as he is with Maka," Masumi said from the table as they peered out at the younger pair. They quickly returned their eyes to one another instead, wanting to give the two their privacy. "He was always such a rambunctious child that I worried he'd never really settle down. Not many girls could look past the teeth, actually; they thought he was a monster."

"May I ask what exactly the deal with his teeth are? I have been a little curious," Spirit asked politely. Masumi chuckled lightly.

"It's something he inherits from his father but I don't know anything other than that. I personally think it's an effect from the family past; apparently my late mother-in-law was involved in a lot of drug testing that took place when William was an infant at the time," She explained with a small nod. Spirit made a slightly put-off face.

"Oh my,"

"Indeed,"

…

Liz had been relaxing at home, enjoying her time painting her nails, when Patty had come rushing out of her room in a giggling mass. Normally, this wasn't an odd occurrence in the quaint little apartment the Thompson sisters shared but this seemed somehow… Different. Liz sat up a little straighter from her perch, carefully putting the cap back on her neon orange nail polish, and looked over at her sister. She was stunned that the younger girl was wearing a tight, sleeveless indigo skirt that barely reached her thighs. She had paired it up with a pair of white leather ankle boots, fishnets that went up to her thighs, and a black headband that was keeping her hair back. All in all, her sister looked downright hot.

And, according to her fashion math, that was **not** a lounging at home outfit.

"What's up Pat?" She asked curiously before blowing on her nails and trying to fake disinterest. The other grin grinned and giggled again.

"I have a date tonight with Chrona! We're going to go clubbing; he's never been and I thought it'd be a fun experience for him!" She beamed happily. Although Chrona was certainly a different brand of individual than the two sisters, Liz had known for a long time her younger sibling was infatuated by the strange kid. There was something about how different than her he was that just turned the younger blonde's innards to mush. She wanted to crack his shell and help him see how wonderful every experience, even the bad ones, could be.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have a great time!" Liz said enthusiastically. The other girl grinned, cheeks blushing a bit, and she headed toward the door. "Do you want me to save you something from whatever I end up having for dinner tonight or no?" She asked curiously.

Patty paused for a moment then shook her head. "Nah, I'll just make sure we eat before we head to the club. Thanks, though, sis," She beamed, sapphire orbs alive and vivid with her excitement. With such a cute expression on her face, the dirty blonde found herself unable to be really jealous in a spiteful way toward her younger sibling. She instead waved one of her still drying hands at her with her smile still in place.

"No problem. Now get going; it's rude to keep a man waiting on you all night, after all," She said warmly. Patty nodded and headed out with a light thump of the front door. Once she was sure her sister was gone, Liz groaned and sank into the couch cushions. "I may have said that… But now I have no idea what I'm going to do for the rest of the evening." She mumbled with a sigh.

She continued reclining on the couch for another hour, until her nails were perfectly painted and dried, before a thought hit her. "I know! I'll call Maka and Tsubaki and see if they want to hang out!" She announced to the empty space while making a dive for her cell phone. Once in her grasp she paused and stared at it. "No, wait, they're both busy. They're both on dates with their boyfriends." She said before dropping her phone back onto the coffee table. She slumped backwards again and crossed her arms, a scowl on her lips. "Well what should I do now?" She wondered grumpily.

Being the only single girl in a group was tough going and Liz wasn't particularly fond of it. She had been the one going on dates during high school; she had been the one who didn't have time for anyone else because of a full social schedule. The shoe being on the other foot was a rather annoying sensation for her and she didn't like it one bit. "I guess I could go pick up some soda, buy a huge carton of rocky road ice cream, rent a couple movies and just order a pizza. If I'm going to have a lonely lady's night in I may as well do it right," She said while standing up. She grabbed her keys off the table, headed out and made sure to lock up behind her. She doubted anyone would try to break in, but she wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

She went to a nearby convenience store to pick up the goods. On the way home, she spotted a rather familiar figure seated on a stoop looking rather… Distressed and lonely.

Liz slid to a stop, put the car in park, and used her auto controls to roll down the window. "What are you doing, Kid?" She called out, grinning a bit when the dark haired male flinched and looked up in alarm. She waved him over and hit the unlock button. "What are you doing out there? It's getting pretty nippy and you aren't even wearing a coat! Now get your ass in this car before it freezes off." She scolded lightly. He did as she said and sighed lightly. She rolled up the windows and looked at him. "So what were you doing? Going for a light evening stroll?"

"Father had to go to a meeting in California so he won't be home for a few days. Being in the house by myself, with how large it is, just feels weird," He said while leaning back against the seat. Liz blinked a bit as she thought about it.

Kid's father owned a successful law firm known as Shinigami Defense. Kid grew up wealthy but he knew the value of a dollar and was paying his way through law school on his own. Liz had respect for him (even though she could not understand his obsession with symmetry) but had always thought he was a little… Well, blank in regards to emotions. She had never seen him anything other than monotonous (and occasionally angry or depressed when symmetry was involved). This weakness on his part was rather charming in a way. "If you don't mind a futon you can stay at my place tonight. I was just going to snack on junk food and watch movies anyway," She offered politely.

His amber orbs lit up with confusion. "Uh… Sure. But why?" He asked curiously. She shrugged and shifted the car to drive, heading off toward her apartment again.

"Well, I figure if we're going to be lonely why not be lonely together?" She suggested calmly. He blinked then chuckled lightly into his hand.

"You are a strange sort of woman, aren't you?" He asked calmly. She grinned back at him.

"You have no idea, Kid," She stated gently.

…

Soul woke up bright and early to meet up with Maka at the nearby park for the start of their shared lessons. The plan was Maka would go first (and he would be borrowing a pair of roller blades from Spirit), then they'd go get lunch, and after that it was Soul's turn. He grabbed his portable stereo, his tape cassette audio out, and his iPod. "I'll see you later, Mother," He said as he headed to the door, stomping his foot awkwardly on the ground to get the back to fall properly over his heel.

"Later, Soul! Have fun and tell Maka I said hello!" She called merrily from her position in the kitchen, washing the breakfast dishes. He smiled to himself as he headed out, walking down the street with a purposeful stride. They had decided that instead of spending the money to actually go to a broader public place for their respective lessons the park would be more cost efficient and closer to a ton of restaurants for their lunch time. The park they were going to also wasn't specifically popular so there'd be next to no witnesses to recall the embarrassing shenanigans they'd be putting one another through.

He spotted Maka as soon as he reached the park gates. She was seated at a bench, wearing a basic pink blouse and dark blue jeans. Her hair was tied off in twin pigtails with little white rabbits clipped onto the hair ties. She was strapping on her neon green rollerblades as he came to stop in front of her. She glanced up and grinned at him. "Were you waiting long?" He asked as he sat down next to her. He set his things, except his iPod, down; the iPod went in his pocket to avoid possible theft by a homeless man passing through.

"Just got here about five minutes ago myself. I wanted to try and be completely ready so I could totally guilt trip you when you finally got here," She explained cheekily. He laughed and gave her a playful shove.

"Well aren't you just the sweetest?" He asked before looking at the black roller blades resting next to her. They looked like they'd just barely fit. "So I just lace them through the straps and smack them together?" He asked as he nudged off his sneakers.

"Pretty much. Those things are Velcro so they'll hold tight to your feet," She agreed with a nod as she pushed herself up. She glided in a small circle in front of the bench as she watched him get himself settled into the foreign contraptions. She then held out her hands and grinned. "I help you get up and find your balance before we start actually moving."

"Getting up can't be that hard, can it?" He asked with a quirked brow as he took her hands. Once up, Soul felt his feet wobble but he stayed where he was. He tried to move forward, not waiting for Maka's instructions, and then he tumbled back on to the bench in a pathetic mess of flailing arms and short-called curses. Maka grinned impishly at him as she leaned forward, her hands on her hips.

"Getting up is the easy part; it's staying vertical that takes practice. Now, let's get you back up and try it again," She said as she extended her hands again. He took them and, having learned his lesson, stayed as still as he could once up again. "Well, this isn't really easy to explain but… It kinda works as like you shift your weight from side to side, moving your feet out and then back in one at a time. Here, I'll demonstrate real fast."

Maka slid backwards and turned herself around. She glided down a few feet, showing Soul what she meant, before turning back in a wide arc and heading back over. "That doesn't seem too hard. It makes more sense to see it than have you explain it," Soul pointed out calmly. Maka grinned cheerfully at him and he took a breath. "Okay, let's see how I handle myself for a first time." He said as he shifted to imitate his girlfriend's actions.

He went three feet before toppling over and landing in a nearby bush.

Maka's chortles of laughter could be heard rather clearly, though she tried to hide them, as Soul pulled himself out and turned to sit. He reached up and plucked a long, thin branch from where it ended up embedded in his hair. "Are you okay?" Maka asked, her lip twitching a bit as she tried to fight back a smile.

"Nothing broken so we're good," He said as he tried to get up again. Without something to ground him, however, Soul got into a crouch before he was again grasping at air and landing flat out on his ass. Maka snickered lightly, covering her mouth with one hand to try and hide it. "You can laugh if you want to; I'm not going to get all pissy about it." He said blandly. _'Besides, it will be I who has the last laugh in then end!'_ He thought evilly.

"I really shouldn't laugh but you just make the greatest expressions when you're about to totally beef it," She said lightly. He shrugged and held his hands out to her. Getting the point, she helped him back up. Once Soul felt comfortable, he released her hands and tried again.

He spent the rougher half of two hours landing on his ass, crashing into foliage and he actually face planted right in a trash can once. And, when that happened, Maka had laughed and pointed at him downright.

He did, however, end up catching on and currently he was keeping pace with Maka along the concrete path of the park. "You're doing really well for your first day. When Black*Star tried to teach himself he actually broke his arm; ended up wiping out in the middle of the street and landed on it weird," She explained. Huh, that was strange to Soul; Black*Star said he'd never broken a bone before in his life. He made a mental note to keep that information stored away for later blackmailing purposes. "So where should we eat?"

"Well, there's a little hot dog stand over there. How does that sound?" He suggested, indicating the small booth with red and white striped visor. Maka smiled and nodded, and the pair headed over. After paying for their food, the two started chowing down and blading back to their bench.

"So what exactly do you have planned for me today?" She asked curiously after swallowing a bite. He smirked at her before leaning over and licking the corner of her lip, where a small smudge of ketchup had ended up. She blushed and nearly stumbled in her movements.

"Well, Maka, I'm going to give you a present you'll like," He mused lightly. On their second date, Maka had revealed she didn't know how to dance. She had always wanted to learn when she was younger but between her classes and work she never found the time. Soul had decided this could be the perfect chance to take something he hadn't really enjoyed (the classes he was obligated to take, given his family's standing in society) and give Maka a fantastic experience.

"Aw, Soul! Please tell me!" She whined loudly. He grinned and took another large bite from his hot dog, leaving just a small nub in bread in his hand. She huffed, seeing he wasn't responding, and took another bite of her own.

They finished the hot dogs before they reached the bench and tossed the paper plates they came on in a nearby trash can. Soul plopped down on the bench and set to removing the roller blades. "Okay, get your sneakers back on. These aren't going to be that helpful for what I've got planned," He said excitedly and he shoved one foot back into one shoe while he struggled with a difficult strap on the other foot. Maka shook her head with a smile before sitting down and following his instructions. Soul popped the cassette into the stereo and pulled his iPod from his pocket. He hooked the cable that ran out of the cassette into his iPod and cranked up the volume on the boom-box while h searched through the songs. He smiled when he found his list of classical tunes. He clicked first on _Palladio (1)_ before standing. He held his hands out to Maka as she finished getting on her last shoe. "Are you ready?" He asked cheerfully.

"Ready for what?" Maka asked as she took his hand and stood. He grinned at he rested one of her hands on his shoulder and kept his grip on the other.

"I'm going to teach you a basic waltz," He said simply as his other hand rested on her hip. Her eyes lit up with joy as he lightly bobbed his head in time with the pace he wanted to set. "This songs a little too fast to start out but I need background noise to pick what tempo I want to set." He explained before he shifted a bit, Maka following his lead.

Soul was thrilled she only stepped on his feet a grand total of five times; he was even more thrilled with how much fun Maka was having.

End

(1) Palladio by Karl Jenkins (or, at least, that's what my iPod tells me). I played this song when I was in high school and loved it. There's a techno remix floating about somewhere but I wouldn't personally recommend it; this is one of the few songs I think is absolutely beautiful as a full orchestra with no other alterations.

Notes for you all~!:

Yeah… So… I don't know how to dance but I can roller blade. That's why I spent more time on Soul's lesson than Maka's. Sorry if you were all disappointed by that… I am scum! :(

I felt like writing more fluff. I figure you're all okay with that, right? Right? Well, other than that… Not much else to say really…

Next Chapter:

There will be a one-year time skip! Why? Because I need to put the next two major plot points into motion! Also, Blair and Wes are going to have a baby! I have decided they'll be having themselves a bouncing little baby boy! Any suggestions on what you all think they should name him? Feel free to PM me or leave suggestions in your reviews~!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Nine: There's **More** to this Plot than SoulxMaka Fluff? **Since When**?

It had been a year since Soul's life did a complete 360 and, all in all, he liked how things were. He and Maka were still dating and their friends were all either hooked up with one another (Black*Star with Tsubaki, Chrona with Patty) or clearly interested in one another but just being difficult (Kid and Liz, Ox and Kim). Masumi was no longer in therapy for depression, having made a full recovery, and was actually starting to talk about getting back into the dating world. Soul always smiled and nodded when that conversation came up; he **didn't** want to think about his mother and some dude totally macking it. Plus, Blair and Wes had moved out about six months ago when Blair discovered she was pregnant.

They were expecting a little boy and had decided to name him Masun.

Currently, he and his mother were in a jewelry store looking at rings. Soul had decided recently that he was going to propose to Maka. He had decided not to tell any of their friends because they'd all start freaking out and he had a hunch at least one of them (i.e. Black*Star or Liz) would spill the beans. He had already informed Spirit of his desire to marry the young woman and, much to his surprise, had received the other male's support and blessing. "Just make sure you take good care of her and any children you two decide to have," He had said with a stern yet loving look to his features. He had then give Soul a pat on the shoulder and headed off. With those words in mind, Soul decided to go pick out a ring and asked his mother for help; he wanted to have a second opinion he could trust.

"How about this one?" Masumi said as she pointed at a ring through the glass. It had a simple silver band with a small triangular diamond in the center. "It's simple yet tasteful, which matches Maka's style quite well." She explained.

"Can I get a better look at this one?" Soul asked the young woman behind the counter politely. She nodded and pulled it out cheerfully. He picked it up and carefully examined it before smiling brightly. He nodded to his mother. "Now I just need to get a nice case for it."

"Go with the basic black velvet," She said as she indicated one on the shelf below the ring. They both knelt to look at it better. "It's traditional, which will definitely touch her heart to some degree. Plus it'll compliment the silver and diamond of the ring well."

Soul grinned at his mother. "You're so smart when it comes to this stuff, Mother," He said with clear admiration. She blinked, blushed then giggled lightly.

"Well, someone had to have some fashion sense. Did you honestly think your father dressed himself? The man was colorblind, for Heaven's sake!" She laughed lightly as Soul pointed to the box for the woman at the counter. He handed back the ring so she could ring it all up for him. He looked at her in surprise.

"Father was colorblind? Since when?" He yelped in surprise. He then turned back to the woman, paid, and set the ring in the box. He then turned to his mother, heading out the door with her.

"Since always. Or, at least, he was colorblind by the time he and I started dating," She explained as she rummaged through her purse for her keys. Soul had a car of his own but his mother had offered to drive out of her own excitement over his decision to propose. "He tried to hide it from me too but I caught him red-handed, so to speak. I wore this adorable little blue dress I had and asked him if he liked it. He agreed and said that green was a great color on me." Soul snickered a bit at that. "Your father was a lot of things; among them, he was a gentleman. You may not have seen much of it, but he was just such a sweetie when we were first dating and married. I guess that time really does change people, though; I hardly knew him by the time the end rolled around." She said with a sad little smile, pausing in putting the key in the lock.

"Mother?" Soul asked worriedly. She jolted up and flashed him a wide smile.

"Sorry, darling. Sometimes I just forget what I'm doing when I think about your father," She said nervously. She unlocked her door and pressed the auto-lock, unlocking his door as well. "But that's the past and I need to look toward the future! After all, I'm going to get to help raise a grandchild and help plan a wedding!" She gushed excited as she buckled herself in and started the car. Her youngest son smiled as he buckled himself in as well. "Things have been so wonderful ever since we lost all our money and everything! I can't remember the last time I was happy as I've been this last year or so." Masumi confessed happily as she backed out.

"I feel that way too, Mother," Soul said cheerfully. He had felt that way as well and sometimes wondered if he was the only one who felt that way. This whole situation may have been bad at first but it turned out to be one of the greatest things to happen to their family. After all, he wouldn't have meet Maka if not for the whole thing. It had all balanced out and been worth it in his opinion.

"So do you want me to drop you off at the restaurant or did you want to get your car?" Masumi asked at a red light.

"I'll drive myself; I'm not scheduled to work today and Maka will be off soon. I'm going to ask her right at the end of her shift and then take her out to celebrate afterwards," He said with a large grin on his lips. Soul knew there was no way Maka would say no to him; Spirit had sort of revealed she was hoping for an engagement. That little tid-bit of information had made Soul's day and helped him solidify his belief that this was the right choice.

Masumi grinned widely and nodded. "Got it, sweetie," She hummed while heading back to their little apartment.

…

Soul was nervous as he walked in to the Ace of Hearts. The box in his jacket pocket felt like it weighed two tons. His throat felt dry. His heart was hammering against his ribcage and he swore his blood was pounding in his ears. Tsubaki smiled at him from the podium. "Hey there, Soul. What's up?" She asked cheerfully.

"Not much. Is it cool if I head back there real fast? I wanted to double check my schedule and ask Maka a quick question," He said smoothly. On the inside he was cheering excitedly over what a wonderful job he was doing of maintaining a cool and collected appearance. The raven haired woman nodded and he grinned back at her. "Cool." He said before heading into the back of the restaurant.

Spirit was tending the grill line like he usually did; their eyes locked briefly. Soul swore those deep blue orbs got watery for a second but after a blink the other male was barking out the table numbers on the tickets he was done preparing. He saw Maka and Azusa speaking a few feet away. The older woman was indicating something on a clipboard with a small frown on her features. Soul approached cautiously.

"Do you see the issue here? If Black*Star does not learn to put the bus tubs down more carefully we're going to have to fire him; at this point he's more of a liability to our expenses," Azusa stated sternly. Maka pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a small groan.

"I'll have another talk with him; when I tell him he's going to lose his job if he doesn't stop he might actually listen to me," She sighed lightly. Azusa nodded and headed off, content with what she'd been told. Soul lightly tapped her shoulder and she turned to face him, her frown turning to a smile at sight of him. "Hey, you." She hummed before leaning up and kissing him lightly. He kissed back eagerly.

"Gross!" They heard Black*Star suddenly declared. He stood a few feet away with a bus tub in his hands, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "The great Black*Star has blessed your union but that does not mean he wants to see you swapping spit!" Maka's eyes started to twitch.

"Black*Star, shut up! Oh, and while I have you here," She stated to stay, "we need to talk about how you handle being a busboy! You need to stop throwing the bus tubs in there! You keep breaking dishes and the other night you actually hit another employee in the face with a full tub!"

"It is not my fault if he isn't smart enough to catch with anything other than his face," Black*Star snorted. For a moment, the young woman started in disbelief and almost awe at such an ignorant retort. It was quickly replaced with the original anger.

"It's dangerous and if you don't stop it you won't have a job here anymore!" She snapped angrily. His eyes widened.

"What? You can't dare to fire the Godly Black*Star for the folly of others!" He snapped back.

"I'd be hiring you for your own mistakes! Either stop throwing the bus tubs or you'll be looking for a new job!" She snapped angrily. With a huff, Black*Star stormed off with a scowl. "Why doesn't he get it? He just can't admit that it's his issue!" She said with a heavy sigh.

"He'll get it; don't worry. He just likes to put up a tough front," He stated simply with a smile. She shrugged lightly and he quickly shook his head. "But right now, just forget about that. You're off in ten, right?" He asked.

She glanced at the clock and then nodded. "Yeah. I just need to do my side work and then I'm good to go. Why?"

"Well, I wanted to take you out for lunch," He said with a shrug. She blinked then smiled brightly. "Oh, but first, I have to ask you something." He said, reaching into his pocket. His hand wrapped securely around the box and he took a deep breath. He then produced it and opened it, forcing himself to fight off his nervous shakes. "Maka Albarn, will you marry me?" He asked.

"Hey, Soul what are you- Oh my God!" Liz gasped as she walked in, her eyes widening. Soul remained focused on Maka, whose eyes were bright and wide.

"What the-? Spirit, do you have anything to say about this?" Azusa sputtered, looking at the red-head expectantly. All eyes shifted to him before he chuckled and shrugged casually.

"I said everything I had to say last night when I gave him my blessing," He stated rather blandly. Azusa's eye began twitching and she launched herself at him with a loud cry. "Oh, dear God, you're crazy!"

"What about my opinion, Spirit? I didn't say anything about it!" She yelled as she chased him around the restaurant. Soul shifted his attention back over to the still surprised looking young woman.

"Well? What do you say, Maka?" He asked, his face becoming more nervous. Her eyes welled with tears and she latched onto him immediately.

"Do you even **have** to ask?" She laughed happily into his shoulder. He smiled brightly and hugged her back just as tightly.

"Oh my God! She said yes! They're getting married! **They're getting married**!" Liz screeched eagerly, flapping her hands in the air excitedly.

"YAHOO! You did it Soul!" Black*Star cheered from the busser's area.

"What's going on?" Kim asked as she walked in. Liz hugged the other girl and started jumping up and down. "What's going on? Liz, put me down and tell me what's going on!"

"They're getting married! They're getting married!" Liz chanted before spinning Kim around and running off. "Tsubaki! Tsubaki, Soul and Maka are **getting married**! He **proposed** to her! She's going to get married!" She squealed excitedly.

"Man, they are all so crazy here," Soul chuckled to Maka lightly. She smiled and leaned back a little so they were meeting gazes.

"Oh, you know you're used to it by now," She hummed before kissing him again. He kissed back happily, ignoring the cat-calls they received from Kilik and Black*Star and the excited squeals coming from Kim, Liz and Tsubaki (who'd come running back with Liz after hearing the news).

"Get back over here Spirit!"

"No! As long as you're being crazy I'm not going to stop!"

…

Spirit ended up closing the restaurant early that night to hold a last-minute engagement banquet for Soul and Maka. While he and the rest of the employees (and Soul's family) set everything up, he and Maka had spent the day in each other's company. He had slipped the ring on Maka's finger at the restaurant and the two had been practically glowing ever since. Anyone who saw them could feel the pure joy just rushing off them in waves.

When they returned to the restaurant, Soul was just grateful that Azusa seemed to have calmed down and accepted the two were going to tie the knot.

Liz ended up kidnapping Maka shortly after they returned. Soul had vaguely heard the other ask, in a sly tone of voice, "So, who's going to be your maid of honor?" He had immediately felt pity for her. It was then that Chrona, Kid and Black*Star came over to him as well.

"Congratulations," Kid said with a smile, giving him a high five. Timid Chrona smiled warmly and nodded his head, to which Soul dipped his head and grinned in return; although Chrona was warming up significantly more now that he and Patty were together he was still pretty meek. Black*Star threw an arm over his shoulder and grinned at him.

"You're lucky my presence was there; otherwise Maka would have totally shot you down!" He laughed proudly. Soul rolled his eyes and shook his head at the other. He perked up and smiled when he saw his mother talking with Azusa; and, much to his surprise, his mother actually had the darker haired woman smiling! He was suddenly very grateful for his mother's quite charms. It was then Soul spotted something that caught his interest.

"Hey, what's the deal with the woman and kids with Stein?" He asked, jerking his thumb over toward where the older male stood. Next to him was the woman Soul recognized as Marie Mjolnir, the woman in charge of the restaurant's finances. She was holding a little girl, wearing a pink ruffled party dress, in her arms and smiling pleasantly. Next to Stein stood a young boy who looked like a carbon copy of what the other male must have looked like at that age.

"Oh, you don't know, do you?" Kid stated with a blink. Soul shook his head; he'd only met either individual once and neither time did he really hold up a personal conversation with either of them. "Stein and Marie are married. She decided to keep her own last name, though, because it was just easier for her or something like that. Those are their children. The boy is Franken Stein Junior but everyone just calls him Little Frankie. And the little girl's name is Sadie."

"Both are very well behaved, though Little Frankie's a weirdo like his dad," Black*Star commented. He then shook his head. "But, back to me! Yup, this is all thanks to me! You and Maka can thank me by naming your first born son after me because I have decided you'll have a son first!"

"That's none of your business and no thank you," Soul remarked flatly. Black*Star glared at him while Kid and Chrona both chuckled in mild amusement as the two starting bickering.

The door of the restaurant was suddenly thrown open and an unfamiliar man walked in.

The man had on a top hat over his slicked back black hair. His eyes were a brighter red tint than Soul's that almost seemed like an insult to the rich ruby of the other male's eyes. He had a dignified face and was currently dressed in an all black suit. Instead of a tie, he had a white cravat tucked into the black jacket he wore over his shirt. Spirit walked over with a small smile on his face. "Excuse me, sir, but we're currently closed for private celebration. We'd be happy to serve you when we open in the morning, though," He stated gently. The other male regarded him then glared.

The mood of the room suddenly shifted; all laughter and smiles disappeared and the whole place was silent.

"Are you Spirit Albarn?" The man asked in a smooth voice. Soul perked up a bit; that voice sounded vaguely familiar. Given the other's wardrobe, he may have know Soul's family when they were still on top.

"I am," He answered, a serious expression coming to the other male's face. Maka walked over worriedly and stood beside her father, looking between the two men worriedly.

"Then I have come to the right place," He stated while pulling a sheet of paper from his jacket. He handed it over to Spirit and a smug smirk turned up his lips. "You see, several months ago you began sleeping with my wife, Lady Arachne. In response to this, I convinced one of your employees known as Justin Law to do some sleuthing for me. As of this following Monday afternoon, ownership of Ace of Hearts will fall to me. Consider yourself served." He said with a dark chuckle. Spirit's eyes widened and there was a collective gasp in the group.

"How dare you accuse my Papa of such a thing?" Maka declared strongly while stepping in front of her father. She glared right at the older man with her shoulders squared and face set in a headstrong scowl. "My Papa hasn't so much as looked at another woman since my Mama passed away!"

"You are a child who knows nothing and would be rise to hold her tongue," The other hissed out with clear annoyance. Maka, however, refused to back down.

"You are the one who should hold his tongue! You shouldn't go around ruining other people's lives and reputations just because your wife slept around!" She barked out. The man growled and then did something that would cause quite a war to be raised against him.

He backhanded Maka Albarn.

"Maka!" Soul called angrily before charging forward to her. She hit the ground and grasped her cheek, eyes wide in horror. Never before had anyone lifted a hand against her before. He knelt down and made sure she was okay before he set to glaring at the man. "Who the hell do you think you are? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I am a man who believes women should know their place," He snarled out bitterly. He then set his gaze on Maka. "You are a foolish little girl. Your father has been lying to you all these years; I have an entire list of women he slept with over the years. I can give it to you, if you'd like; it has every bit of information you could want. And so, because your father finds it amusing to break up happy homes, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. That is a legally binding contract promising this building to me in six days; it has no loopholes, I can assure you. Have a good night." He said, tipping his hat and heading out.

Spirit did and said nothing; he just stood there and stared at the floor while everyone else just stared at him.

End

Notes time~!:

Special shout out to spixie303 for giving me the name Masun for Blair and Wes's baby~! I chose it because it's absolutely adorable and I liked you reason for them giving the baby his name~!

So… Yeah… There is a small plot! And I think I just made a few enemies… I'll be taking my leave now…

On a last note, I added some stuff to my profile that you might want to check out! I added some new quotes (from my real life), two new story summaries, the results of that poll I uploaded a while ago, as well as a new thing called Chapter Expectancy. As you can guess, it's me explaining my plans for my new stories and about what length I'll be aiming for with them. If you check it out and have any questions about anything, PM me; I promise to reply within a day or two. I also uploaded a new poll but it doesn't have anything to do with these stories I've currently uploaded. I've started the plotting and such for my upcoming fanfics and need your opinions on a certain matter involving one and hope you'll all respond to it so I can finish up the brainstorming process. :3

Next Chapter:

Maka finds herself unable to be excited about her engagement anymore after finding out that the relationship she grew up admiring was nothing more than a little girl's dream. Soul isn't sure if he wants to scream and beat up Spirit for messing everything up or just cry over the way things seem to be turning out; he ends up deciding that neither would be a very good, or cool, option. Black*Star proves to everyone that stupidity knows no bounds but does seem to have great timing for comedic relief.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Chapter Ten: Can Someone get Black*Star a Dictionary? And maybe some Ritalin?

"So… What are you saying?" Black*Star asked for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. Currently, Liz was holding an ice pack to Maka's cheek to assure there was little to no swelling. Patty was trying to convince Chrona, whom was ducked into a corner from fear of facing the current situation and being unable to handle it, to come back out and socialize again. Tsubaki was helping Liz make sure Maka was okay while Kid and Soul were trying to explain the situation to the confused Black*Star. Spirit was seated at the large round table in the very back of the restaurant with the rest of the managers. Aside from the mentioned individuals, the rest of the workers had left out of the request of their boss.

"Justin Law basically screwed us over and forged Spirit's signature; therefore selling the rights of the restaurant over to that old bastard Mosquito," Soul explained with a tired sigh. Black*Star blinked a few more times before letting out an annoyed growl.

"The great Black*Star still does not understand! Forage; doesn't that mean to look for something? How can that effect the restaurant?" Black*Star snapped back. Everyone sweat-dropped at this although Tsubaki let out a nervous little giggle.

"Are you serious? We said **forge**, Black*Star, not **forage**!" Kid snapped back out. He lightly massaged his temples, growling, before opening his eyes and pinning the other male with a stern look. "Forge, the word we're using, means to imitate or replicate! Justin Law learned how to perfectly duplicate Spirit's signature and then signed a document awarding Mosquito the restaurant!"

"What? They can't do that, can they?" He called out frantically. Maka clenched her fists and glared up at Black*Star.

"Because of the stupid mistake my father made now we're going to lose everything!" She snapped angrily. All eyes turned to her as bitter tears pricked at the back of her eyes. "He lied to everyone, lied to me! All this time he's been saying he could never find love again but really he's just been having fun test-driving any woman he could find! And now he's slept with the wrong one and everything is going to be taken away! How could you to this to everyone?" Maka stood abruptly and glared at her father, who looked away with shame glittering in his eyes.

"Maka, I made a mistake-"

"And this time your mistake is going to cost us our restaurant! Everything was put into this place; all of your money and all of Mama's money when she was with us! This was the only place we had to keep her memory alive and now we're going to lose it!" She looked down, disgust marring her features, before she turned and headed to the door. Soul was following her in an instant.

No one tried to stop them.

Soul helped Maka get into his car and then slid into the driver's side. "Where do you want me to go?" He asked her gently. She shook her head, taking a shaking breath, so he just nodded and pulled out. He drove around the city and let Maka cry out like she needed to. He found an abandoned parking lot, pulled into a space, and then turned to her. "Maka, come here." He said gently, holding his arms out to her.

"Oh, Soul!" She whimpered before flying into him and burrowing into his chest. He held her tight, whispering sweet words into her hair as she cried into him. "Why did this have to happen now? Things were so wonderful! We're engaged, the restaurant is making great business, but then this has to happen? It's not fair! How can my father ruin everything like this?"

"He made a mistake, Maka, but that's just part of human nature," He said delicately. She blinked then looked up with her tearful expression. He gave a small smile before one of his hands cupped her face and brushed away her tears. "About a year ago, a smart, pretty young woman asked me if I wanted to spend the rest of my life hating my brother because of one greedy decision he made. And although it took some time, I forgave Wes for everything that happened and now we're closer than we'd ever been. I know that you're scared and angry and hurt, Maka, but you shouldn't let this ruin your relationship with your father. We'll find a way to make everything work out, find a way to fix this, I promise."

She blinked then sniffled lightly and nodded. "I guess I shouldn't be a hypocrite, huh?" She mumbled. He wove his arms tighter around her and kissed her forehead.

Soul himself was completely livid over the whole incident too, but didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Spirit had made a (quite a few, actually) mistake but he knew that getting angry wouldn't do them any good. Instead, he was going to try to figure out if there was some loophole they could use to trip up the whole situation.

He was just going to have to put his all into a counterargument.

…

"Well I guess I should start looking for another job," Liz sighed as she and Kid walked back to her place together. They were kind –of-sort-of dating, though they didn't use the term "boyfriend-girlfriend". Kid would come hang out a lot, help her get chores around the house done, tag along when she went shopping and occasionally take her out for dinners and movies but she didn't have the courage to ask him for a label. She feared asking that may ruin whatever it was they had, and she was kind of fond of it. Sine Patty had pretty much become a leech on Chrona it was nice to not be alone (and have a cute male companion padding along with her). "Otherwise we'll lose the apartment. But with the way things are right now I'll probably have to go on unemployment for a while. Ah, shit!" She groaned lowly.

"Things with the restaurant could turn around," Kid offered casually. She looked at him sideways and then sighed lightly.

"I'd like to have my bases covered if things don't, though," She said sourly. She shoved her hands in her pockets. "I mean, Patty could just get a job at the karaoke bar Medusa owns; she'd give her the job simply because she's dating Chrona and all. Plus, if we ended up getting booted from the apartment, she could go live with them too! Me… I'm not as lucky as Patty. She's the bubbly, cheerful one that's a lot better at making friends. I'm slightly more jaded than her."

"Well if worst comes to worst you can always come and say with my father and I," She blinked and looked at Kid in slight alarm. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What? I don't want you to getting left on the streets without a home or anything of your possessions. You're… Very important to me." He was blushing a bit and clearly uncomfortable with the words tumbling out from his own lips.

In her time befriending (since she couldn't think of a better way to phrase it) Kid she had learned he never had a mother and never really learned how to deal with his emotions. Sure, his father had given him plenty of love and as much attention as he could, he had a lot to do with his business. It was usually less than stellar babysitters tending to the young male's wants and needs growing up. Liz suddenly understood the reason for his lack of social grace and difficult expressing how he felt at appropriate mediums (since it was normally either a panic attack, a crying fit or completely nothing with him) and found his attempts at normality that much more endearing.

And though she knew this wasn't necessarily a love confession, she decided she could run with it until Kid reached a point where the words "I love you" was a tangible expression for him to use.

At current she leaned over and gave him a small nudge with her elbow. "What makes you think I'd say yes?" She asked with a raised brow. He looked up, complete shock on his features, before it stepped back to reveal a more disappointed glint. She then grinned at him and laughed. "Did you think I was serious? I'd say yes in a heartbeat, you moron! No way in Hell am I ever living on the streets again!" She cheered out mirthfully.

Kid responded with a cute little grin of his own and nodded. "I'm glad," He said in a soft, sweet tone of voice. Something in the way he was looking at her made Liz blush and look away quickly. What was with this guy? One minute he made her eye twitch like a wonky spring in a messed up clock, and the next he had her heart thrumming merrily like the wings of a baby hummingbird! She did, however, decide she wanted to investigation this chain of reactions a little further.

…

Black*Star was grinning with his hands behind his head as he and Tsubaki walked home together. They lived right next to each other in the exact same apartment complex, much to their good fortune. "I can't see what everyone's worried about! They seem to forget the great Black*Star is working there! I'll be able to get that guy to change his mind with one simple look!" He laughed cheerfully.

Tsubaki skid to a stop at his words, causing him to turn around and look at her curiously. "How… How can you say things like that so easily, as if it doesn't even matter?" She asked meekly, looking down at her feet. She was shaking with the force of the emotions rampaging through her. She had always been a sweet girl, impossible of feeling true hatred toward any person no matter what they did to her; Hell ,she couldn't even hate her older brother who was currently doing time back in Japan for beating her daily and almost killing her! But this man, Mosquito, something about his attitude stirred up those bad memories and his presence reminded her of her brother. It filled her with fear, and a bitter taste at the back of her throat that she couldn't quite place. "The restaurant… It could be taken away and demolished! We could all lose our jobs and homes and… and!" She cut herself off as a sob threatened to choke out from her.

But she didn't want to just cry about this whole situation; she wanted to do something – anything – to make it just stop!

"Hey, Tsubaki," Black*Star said in a surprisingly soft voice for him. He dropped his hands from behind his head and approached her, letting his hands land first on her shoulders. She looked at him tearfully, her bottom lip being teased between her teeth, and he looked at her seriously. "You don't need to be worried. I'm going to make sure to take care of you, no matter what. If I… I can't find a way to stop that bastard Mosquito from shutting down the restaurant than we can find new jobs. Hell, we can even pay off your lease and you can move in with me! But just don't… Just don't cry, Tsubaki. I'll make sure we're okay somehow."

"Black*Star," She sniffled lightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She then dropped her head to his shoulder and let herself cry, latching on to him tightly. His arms around her tightened.

"The great Black*Star will also protect you," He mumbled cheerfully, and she smiled too.

…

Spirit sighed heavily as he sunk into his chair at the kitchen table. He had really made a mess of everything this time, hadn't he? He never thought that his bad habits would catch up to him and have such a terribly backlash on him. He sighed and shook his head. "No, I knew this would eventually happen," He mumbled softly.

The real thing that hurt him was that Maka had to be affected by this as well.

Spirit had sort of assumed that his bad habits would catch up with him as some point. He had just been sort of hoping he could keep things under wraps so that no one else would have to handle it. He expected a woman to turn up pregnant with his child; he had planned to offer her child support if she agreed to keep everything to herself. He expected someone's husband to find out and beat him up over it; he had been prepared to lie and say he had made a bet he couldn't repay at the time.

He hadn't planned on betrayal and theft of his business, though.

The door creaked loudly and he flinched at the sound. "Papa?" Maka asked in a small voice, as if she were no more than a little mouse squeaking to make its presence known. He didn't look up, too afraid to see the scorn and betrayal in his daughter's eyes. She slowly walked over. "Papa, Soul and I went for a drive so I could clear my head. We talked a little and think we may have a solution." She said gently, her hand falling to his shoulder. He finally lifted his head and saw the small shimmer of hope in his daughter's large emerald orbs.

"What did you think of?" He asked quietly. He tried to quell the little ember of hope his child's words were starting to ignite in him. He had to be prepared for the fallout of his mistakes, had to be prepared if things didn't work as they planned.

"His mother works as a secretary for a top-notch lawyer," She started. She pulled up a chair and sat down, shifting her hands to take both of his in her own. "He's going to see if his mother can convince him to weigh in on the documents Justin signed. There isn't really a way we can prove that they're forged, since Mosquito and Justin could just lie on the stand in court, but there may be some slim little loophole we wouldn't recognize without the legal know-how. It's a long shot but it's our only chance now." She said with a tiny smile tipping up her lips. Spirit's heart fluttered at the sight and he finally broke apart.

"Maka, I'm so sorry," Spirit whispered sadly, tears finally falling from his eyes. She gently reached over and embraced her father. "Papa is so sorry, Maka. I never meant for this to happen. I-I never wanted to hurt everyone else like this!" He sobbed, his whole body shaking so hard it shook Maka as well.

"It'll be okay, Papa," She whispered softly, closing her eyes and tightening her hold on him. Maybe if she held him hard enough she could force herself to put more hope into this plan. Maybe if she held tighter to him she could force herself to believe that everything would really be alright.

End

Notes:

This chapter… Just, ugh, this chapter! So it's really short because I started out having no idea where to go since the next chapter preview for it was kind of lame. In the end, I decided it'd make a good chapter to sort of show different relationships developing and how they're affected by this new information (since I need to improve on that). And, also, I must confess some of my attention was taken from this to be spent on working on the first chapter of my next fanfic: Pulchritudinous. I am embarrassed to say that it really shows in the chapter. If you view this chapter as filler, I apologize: *bows* I shall make sure to do better for you all! The next chapter should make up for this one at least a little bit!

On a lighter note, I… Freakin'… LOVE… Kid in this story! I like getting to portray him as sort of emotionally retarded and socially awkward because… Well, he was raised a spoiled rich brat. And no offense to Shinigami-Sama (since I love that guy) but he probably didn't have much time to offer to his son when he was little. So… Yeah, Liz is going to fix him up pretty fast! Just like Patty and Chrona.

Are you guys enjoying all the cracky pairings I am putting in? Because I am. Just wish I would spend more time developing the relationships. :T

Poll is still uploaded; need it answered so I can start the planning process for Not Quite Twilight. Please get to it as soon as you can, ladies and gents~! :D

Next Chapter:

Soul proves to the world that he is more than just a spoiled rich boy trying to adjust to a more humble life; he also proves that he doesn't have a very high tolerance for pain. Maka finds herself unable to enjoy a cake tasting with Soul as much as she'd like with her life unraveling around her. I spend some time on relationship development with other pairings again (since I suck at it)! Why? Because shut up. (I am aware I am fail!)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. I also do own the Renegade Girls.

Chapter Eleven: Living on Eggshells

The appointment was scheduled by his mother, the day he'd picked out the ring, and there was no backing out of it. Masumi had bent over backgrounds to get them this slot with the most popular bakers in town, the Renegade Girls, and he'd be damned if something as trivial as the Ace of Hearts being shut down would keep he and Maka from taking the necessary steps to get their wedding underway. They had decided on a date (the fourteenth of November) the day of their engagement. They had figured that about five months would be the perfect amount of time for them to get everything squared away.

And so, as they settled down at a table in the brightly colored shop, they both tried to force their fears and anger off to the side.

"Hello there, happy couple! You're Soul Evans and Maka Albarn, right?" The woman who approached them asked eagerly. She had shoulder length red hair with blonde tips dyed in. She was wearing all black with a pink apron on. The words "The Renegade Girls: Owner Stacy McCormick" were embroidered on her apron in black thread. She had a notebook and pencil book tucked under one of her arms while she offered them her other hand. Both took her hand and shook is lightly. She settled into the vacant chair and smiled at them both brightly. "So have you two thought about any possible themes?"

"We're basically just aiming for something tasteful. The wedding right now seems like it's going to be very modest and traditional," Maka explained gently. Soul felt painfully guilty that, because of what was going on with the restaurant, they had to do a fair share of penny pinching work in regards to planning the wedding. After all, Maka made it clear she wanted them both to focus on bills and gas and insurance instead of putting the wedding upfront. He knew that, if things hadn't turned out the way they were, he would force her to spoil herself with a fancy, extravagant sort of celebration.

Little girls always dreamed of their weddings and Soul was almost pained at the thought of their wedding be less than child Maka had dreamt of.

"Okay, so how many tiers are you thinking for the cake?" Stacy asked cheerfully. The two glanced at each other and Soul merely shrugged.

"I'll say we'll need three or four," Maka said and her eye twitched a bit at the thought. She knew that the more tiers on your cake the more expensive it became. Knowing that, she still wanted to make sure that everyone would be able to have at least one slice of their wedding day pastry. She had to swallow down the guilt of being greedy bubbling up in her throat.

"Okay. So, you said more traditional so did you want it all white or did you want something with a little more pizzazz?" Stacy asked next, flipping open her notebook and scribbling down the notes she had so far. Maka started to respond but was cut off by Soul.

"Can we get some of those sugar flowers put on there? If possible, can they be made to look like pink and red roses?" He asked curiously. Stacy's features brightened considerably at the mention of a little décor on the cake.

"But of course!" She started out doing a rough sketch of the outline of the cake, adding on the flowers and a few other little pieces. "You see, here we can put a few fondant ribbons if you'd like."

"Yeah, that'd be a nice touch. Can you get the ribbons in a light purple color? A sort of lavender hue, maybe?" Soul asked, leaning over to peer at the sketch better.

"Sure. How would this look?" She asked, pulling a pale purple colored pencil from the pencil box and coloring it in. Soul grinned and nodded brightly.

"That would look good! This cake is kinda supposed t5o be mostly centered around Maka's likes and such," He confessed politely. Maka was currently gaping at the pair, eyes and mouth wide.

"Aw, that's so sweet of you! Most grooms I've met want to have a little bit of a say in how the cake looks. Normally they don't want anything too girly," Stacy explained gently.

Soul shook his head. "Girls are more interested in weddings than most guys I've met so it's just cooler of the guy to let the girl have things the way she wants. I mean, unless they are really trying to emasculate the guy. Plus we had a groom's cake at our engagement party so I figure it's her turn to have the spot light," He said casually. He blinked then looked at Maka and back at Stacy. "So it'll look like this?" He asked, pointing to her sketch.

"Unless you needed me to change something?" She asked curiously.

"Just one little thing. Can we have a purple ribbon wrapped around each tier?"

"Absolutely!" Stacy beamed brightly. She made the change then showed it to Soul, getting his seal of approval. "Excellent! I'll go get the samples of some of our available cake flavors so you can decide which one you'd like." She said while getting up. She made sure to take her gear with her.

"Soul," Maka said softly, "what are you thinking? The less decorations we put on this cake the better off we'll be! We can't go spending way too much money on the cake!" Her eyes were narrowed a bit but were glowing in fear. He gently took her hand and gave her his most confident look.

"It's not that big a deal, Maka. A few sugar flowers and some fondant ribbons aren't going to cost that much," He explained delicately. He kissed her forehead and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Don't go fretting too much right now. Let's plan this the way we want and just try to remain positive. We still have a shot at saving the restaurant; my mother's going to see if her boss can look over the contract for us sometime soon and find us a loophole, remember? We're still fighting and we still have hope."

"How can you just say it like it's no big deal?" She asked with a heavy sigh but a small smile. He grinned back in that cocky way that Maka had come to adore.

"That's just how a cool guy like me rolls," He answered cheekily. Stacy returned carrying a pure black platter with a few different slices of cake on top. There was also a few forks a top it, the pair noted as she set the tray before them on the table.

"So for you today I have the basic three flavors; chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. As well as those, I have brought red velvet, a Dutch apple recipe we developed, a lemon flavored cake and a special cherry flavor we developed as well. Dig in!" Stacy beamed, offering them each a utensil.

In the end, Maka and Soul decided to go with red velvet.

…

Blair had offered Maka a job at Blair's Brew upon the news of what was going on; just as a precaution to things going south. Soul had been quite adamant that there was no way in Hell that, as long as he had balls and an opinion, was he going to let Maka work there. His reason for saying no? The rather scandalous and inviting uniform for the ladies that worked there. Upon Maka's request, though, Blair agreed to hire at least one person from Ace of Hearts in the young blonde's stead. Today, as she sat in her office (since she couldn't really do much else, for fear of hurting tiny little Masun resting in her belly), she was speaking with Maka's friend Liz Thompson about the chance of employment.

The older woman had to admit she liked the idea of hiring the feisty blonde quite a bit. Unlike Maka, Liz was already well equipped to handle serving customers as a server. Although Liz wasn't as "blessed" in regards to her breasts as her younger sister, Liz had curves that would definitely look great in the uniform. And unlike Tsubaki, Liz knew that she was hot and also knew how to exploit it like a lot of the girls that worked here. This meant that the confidence, attractive, and smart Liz would be able to survive without too much of an issue, since the other girls wouldn't whine about her being uneducated or overly energetic or just plain bashful.

The only thing that made her hesitate? The weird kid hovering out her office window watching the two women. She recognized him as one of Maka and Soul's friends from work but could not drag up a name. The black hair with three white strips and bright golden eyes that were a hue akin to her own were painfully familiar but for some reason she couldn't place his name currently. She suddenly perked up and placed a hand lightly to her belly.

"Is something wrong?" Liz fretted, standing up and looking over worriedly. Blair giggled and waved on hand while the other lightly caressed her belly.

"Ah, nothing to worry about. In the afternoons Masun gets a little excited and starts poking around. It's actually a good thing; it means he's developing healthy and strong!" She beamed excitedly. Liz smiled back warmly and settled back in her seat. "Well, as long as you don't mind the uniform, I'll definitely get you on clock if you need me to." She said happily.

"Are you serious?" Liz gasped happily, eyes lighting up with joy. Blair nodded brightly at the excited squeal the other woman released. The two women shook on it and then the younger woman headed out, giggling and grinning like a fool. Blair suddenly turned serious, picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Hey Wes-Kun~! Uh, I was wondering, since you're going to the store tonight-"She paused as her husband cut her off. She blushed a bit and giggled lightly. "Yeah, it's another one of my weird cravings…" Another brief pause. "Porkrines and chocolate…" One last pause. "Thank you so much sweetheart~! Masun and I can't wait to come home and both love you oodles~!"

Liz spotted Kid the second she walked out of Blair's Brew; considering he knocked over a trash can in his attempt to be inconspicuous he wasn't painfully hard to spot. "What are you doing here Kid?" She asked flatly, her hands falling to her hips. He walked over, plucking a banana peels from his hair and kicking a moldy slice of pizza from his shoes in the process.

"You mentioned you had a job interview here just… Well, you know… In case," He said sheepishly, glancing off to the side while his fingers twitched nervously. She blinked then smiled lightly as a slight blush crept up his cheeks. "I just wanted to see how things went for you."

"Blair said that if I end up needing the job she'll give it to me," She said merrily. He glanced up and smiled lightly at her, nodding his own joy over her situation. "Since I decided to walk to save gas wanna walk with me for a while? You can even hang at my place, if you want; Patty's hanging out at Chrona's like usual so you won't have to worry about her teasing you." She remarked, taking as a step away from the alleyway.

"Your sister is rather vicious sometimes, isn't she?" He asked as he caught up to her and fell in step with her easily.

"Well, we did grow up on the streets. She's a lot better than she used to be, though," She pointed out with a shrug. She glanced at Kid sideways. "So what about you? Do you have any back-up plans if this whole thing blows up in our faces?"

"My father," Kid mumbled, glancing off to the side, "said that, if I lose this job, he has an opening as a manager at one of our stores in Seattle. He'd have an apartment furnished the way I liked and paid off for me as well." Liz blinked slightly in surprise, her heart giving a sharp jerk at that.

Liz was stirred back to feeling bitter over the whole thing. If this all fell through, Kid would be moving very far away. Considering how close the two had become over the last year, the thought of not getting to see him was… Painful. She found herself blaming Spirit for this whole thing again and then yelling at herself on the inside over that. There was nothing that could be done; if things went the way they did than that was how things would play out.

And then Kid would…

"But I told him no,"

Liz skid to a stop and stared at him, her whole mind grinding to a standstill. "W-What?" She stammered out, wondering if she had misheard him. After all, that seemed to be the only plausible explanation.

"I told my father no," He said simply. He made it sound like he was simply saying what it felt like outside right now. "I told my father than I did not want to leave Death City no matter and he told me he'd respect my decision. He said the options always on the table, if I should change my mind, but I'm not going to. I do have a few job interviews coming up this week so hopefully one of those will pan out."

"Why would you do that? You have a permanent job offer and even the offer of a roof over your head!" She snapped in alarm. Don't get her wrong, she was glad to know he'd be staying in town, but it just didn't make sense to her. Why would he throw that away?

"I didn't want to leave you," He said in that same simple voice, though it did sound a little softer. She blinked a few more times, sapphire and amber locking together. And Liz felt her heart start beating fifteen times faster than it had been before. He was giving all that away, just for her? "I-I mean, I like getting to see you and… When I'm around you I don't feel so… Alone…" He mumbled while looking at his feet. "I'm not… Familiar with emotions or how to express them properly. I feel strange around you, but it's a sort of pleasant kind of strange. I… I really don't want to have to stop seeing you."

Liz wasn't sure if she wanted to weep or whine at Kid for his love confession. After all, he hadn't necessarily said he was in love with her but it was pretty obvious that what he was trying his best to explain was love. Kid had told Liz a lot about his childhood and, though they lived in vastly different worlds, she had realized they both knew what it was like to feel abandoned in different ways. She had grown to care about him, and found his little quirks rather charming now. She decided to do the only thing she could think to do in response to such a confession.

Kid nearly fainted dead away when Liz kissed him right there with tons of people staring.

…

"Get some! Get some, you **punk ass bitch**!" Patty was screaming while she swerved her body this way and that. She and Ragnarok were locked in a battle on Mario Kart Wii, in which Patty was winning. Chrona and Ragnarok had been playing when she headed over to the Gorgon residence and, after the older male kicking and elbowing the smaller boy into losing the round, the young blonde decided to put him in his place. After all, **no one** messed with Patty's precious boo and got away with it!

From the kitchen doorway, Medusa watched with an eyebrow raised in mild amusement. Chrona was currently preparing some drinks for he and Patty, as well as a large bowl of buttery popcorn. After Patty was done beating Ragnarok at Wii they were planning to watch a movie. "She certainly is an… Excitable young woman, isn't she?" Medusa asked as she watched the younger woman proceed to, upon crossing the finish line on the last lap, shoving the young male over and shouting all sorts of insults out at him.

"Patty really is, but that's what I like most about her," Chrona stated gently as he opened the freshly popped bag of corn. He was smiling as he spoke, and a merry glint that caught in his eyes made his mother's heart skip a beat. "She's really patient with me, since I'm not good with new things. She never yells at me but if other people are mean to be she'll turn on them like a wild beast. I… I love being around her and getting to know she's with me because she wants to be." He picked up the tray with the bowl and cups on it, slipping past her with a small "Excuse me".

Medusa's yellow eyes softened with joy and relief before turning back to the shouting woman. Upon Chrona's arrival, Patty stopped shouting and eagerly settled back on the couch. Ragnarok, twitching and snarling, pushed himself off the floor and headed to the hallway to nurse his wounds in his room. Chrona set up the DVD player and then sat down on the cushion next to Patty. "Let's cuddle, Chrona!" She announced suddenly.

Chrona twitched and blushed frantically. "B-But I… I don't know… I don't know how," He stammered out bashfully. Patty blinked then grinned and crawled closer to him. He let out a small surprised squeak.

"You put your arm over my shoulders like this, see?" She asked while positioning his arm. He blinked, starting to relax a bit while she nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "And then I put my head here, like this. And then, we hold our other hands together like this. See?" She smiled at him brightly, lacing their fingers together.

Chrona blinked and smiled. "I like this," He said softly, letting his head rest atop Patty's. She grinned brighter as they watched the previews before the movie would start up.

Medusa smiled and headed back into the kitchen, deciding to give them some privacy and tend to the dishes while she was at it. When her son first told him he was going on a date with Patty Thompson, She had been rather worried; after all, she had seen how the other woman could get when provoked. But, gradually, as the two dated and her son became more and more chipper, she decided to let it go. After all, maybe the blonde would be good for Chrona. And now, having seen that everything Chrona had said about her was true, she decided she was going to officially accept Patty as a member of the family. 'If you need a job because of what Spirit did, Miss Thompson, just come to Mama Medusa.' She thought before turning on the sink faucet.

…

"Yes, Father. I understand," Tsubaki sighed as she hung up her phone. She sighed heavily and looked over at Black*Star, who was comfortably settled on her couch with the television on. Tsubaki liked to call and visit with her family back in Japan every so often. She had called them a few days ago, when the whole incident with the Ac of Hearts started up, and mentioned her concerns to her mother. In turn, her concerned mother mentioned them to her father. He had just called to make one thing clear; upon Ace of Hearts being shut down, Tsubaki was to return home and help out with their family's dojo. "Black*Star, I have some bad news." She said gently as she walked over.

"Hmm? What's up?" He asked curiously, looking up at her curiously. She took the remote from him, turned off the television, and set the remote on the coffee table. The other raised on brow at her, green orbs brightening with curiosity.

"If… If Ace of Hearts gets closed down then my parents have demanded I come home and help take care of the family dojo. That would mean moving back to Japan," She explained delicately, looking down at her hands. She knew Black*Star had promised to take care of her, but she had been a little worried about that. She didn't want to become his responsibility but she also knew that she could not deny her parents. Black*Star blinked ten tapped his chin in deep thought.

"Huh, that is a pretty big move but the Great Black*Star can handle anything! A move to another country is no big thing to a star as grand as I!" He laughed happily. She looked up, eyes wide, and gawked at him like a fish. Upon catching her look he grinned at her. "Hey, I'm an awesome fighting with kung-fu and all that! I can totally help teach a bunch of wimpy little brats at your dad's dojo! Plus, I promised that I would take care of you! I have to be with you if I'm supposed to take care of you!" He laughed lightly.

Her azure eyes bubbled over with tears and she hugged him tightly. "Black*Star, I… I just… I love you so much," She sniffled lightly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her tightly, closing his eyes and enjoying getting to hold her close.

"I love you too, Tsubaki,"

…

Soul returned home from his day with Maka feeling hopeful and excited. His mother should be getting home any minute now from work and he was looking forward to what she would have to say. When Masumi walked in the door he was making some tea. "Oh, hello Mother. Want some tea?" He offered. She nodded with a sigh, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Thank you, sweetie," She mumbled while kicking her heels off under the table. She nudged them farther away with her toe as Soul set a steaming cup of peppermint tea in front of her. She took a mall sip while Soul settled in beside her. "Oh, Soul, I have some bad news."

"What is it, Mother?" He asked, setting his cup back down before even taking a sip. His brow furrowed as his mother released another sigh. She was sighing a lot and using his actual name instead of one of her many nicknames; that was far from a good sign.

"I spoke with my boss today and he said it'll be another four months before he can look over those documents for us. He's been forced to take on a lot of cases lately since one of our other attorneys's quit and dumped their case load in his lap. He did, however, promise to look into them when he can," She said gently. She reached out and gently took Soul's hand. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Soul was silent for a minute before standing and pacing the room. This was… Their luck was just complete bullshit! First everything that originally struck his family down hit them and then things were finally better! Soul was getting ready to be an uncle and a husband, his mother was doing well, and everyone in their family was happy! Why did things have to fall apart right now, after they had accomplished so much?

Not thinking quite clearly, Soul slammed his clenched fist into the nearby wall. His eyes widened, however, when his hand folded instead of the plaster of the wall. He swore softly under his breath and he just knew he had broken at least one of his knuckles with that little action. Masumi sighed and stood, picking up her keys. "I'll drive you to the ER, dear," She said gently.

At the Albarn residence, Maka suddenly jolted up from her book and looked around her room suspiciously; her Soul-Just-Did-Something-Totally-Stupid senses were tingling.

End

Authoress Notes:

So, when I was knocked on my ass from my oral surgery, I watched a lot of television and searched the internet (and, actually, got a decent amount of writing done). One of the main types of shows I watched while I was on bed rest was the wedding shows. Specifically I watched Say Yes to the Dress and Cake Boss; I friggin' love Buddy, by the way~! He makes me laugh. So, I know a little bit about the process of having a meeting to discuss a cake with a professional baker. And they say television does nothing but rot your brain~! :D

Also, I friggin' love red velvet. It is, like, the greatest type of cake I have ever had (tied with chocolate and the rainbow chip cake my Auntie always makes for birthdays).

I still love Kid, as well as the interactions between Patty and Chrona, and hope you all do too. Also, hope this chapter was better…

Oh, and don't forget my Sunday Q&A sessions! I'll be doing those from now until about August when I start my new semester of college~!

Next Chapter:

It is a mystery~!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot.

Also, I'm not 100% sure on the legal accuracy of the facts I use in this chapter so please don't think they're right. Just pretend that for this universe they are. :D

Chapter Twelve: Conversations with a Zombie!

In the end, they lost the rights to Ace of Hearts. Spirit hadn't been able to find a single lawyer who could find a loophole to the damn contract. All the workers had, luckily enough, had enough time to get new jobs. Liz was now at Blair's Brew, Kid had gotten a job in a department store, Patty was working with Chrona at the karaoke club, and Maka had gotten a job at a book store. The hardest hit had been saying goodbye to Tsubaki and Black*Star, who were heading back to Japan to work for Tsubaki's family.

That was all three and a half months ago.

As a result of the situation they were all in, Maka had moved in with Soul and Masumi. Any conversation she had with her father had always ended in an argument. He had protested to her moving at first but then he let her go; after all, she and Soul would be living together permanently after two more months any way. Blair had given birth to Masun Evans about three weeks ago and that had to be one of Soul's better memories of the whole thing.

Never before had Soul seen his father freak out the way he had in the waiting room. It had been Soul, Maka, Masumi and Spirit there for him. Since Stein had agreed to give them a discount on the medical bill they were at his place. A few of his medical peers had come to help with the birth as well. While Masumi and Maka looked over a catalog of popular venues for weddings, Soul and Spirit watched his brother walk from one end of the room to the other doing various things; one minute he'd be wringing his hands then the next he'd be running his fingers through his hair. Finally, Spirit decided to speak up. "Wesley, why don't you sit down and try to relax?" He offered politely.

"No, thanks," Wes said in a harsher tone than he'd normally use. He hadn't even paused in his movements or glance over at the older male. Spirit looked a bit put off by this, shifting to stand, when Maka caught his wrist.

"Papa, just let it go. He's just nervous; he isn't trying to be rude," She said delicately. Spirit snorted and stood anyway, approaching the other male. "I warned him. Oh, this place looks nice." She hummed, quickly turning her attention back to the booklet in Masumi's hands. Soul had to try his hardest not to laugh at his fiancé's antics, instead turning his attention back toward the two older men in front of him.

"Look, Wes, I know what you're going through," Spirit said, resting his hand on the other man's shoulder. Wes looked from his hand back to Spirit calmly, obviously halting in his movements. "I went through it when my Kami went into labor with Maka. But walking in circles and muttering to yourself and tearing out your hair isn't really going to do you any good in the long run. You'll feel better if you just relax and look forward to getting to hold your baby with your wife."

"Pacing is making me feel better so please let go and respect my decision," Wes remarked calmly. The older male blinked, blue eyes widened a small bit, before he narrowed them.

"You're really worrying over nothing, okay? Stein is one of the greatest doctors and is world renowned! Blair and Masun couldn't be in better hands, even if your family was still rich and your Dad could afford to fly in a professional from France or something!" He snapped out. Right then Masumi and Soul's heads snapped up to see what happened next.

Now, it was a little known fact to anyone outside of the family, but Wes and William had always had a strained relationship. Will would press Wes as hard as he could to work harder and spend more time on his violin than necessary. Sure, Soul had been put through a similar regimen, but he had usually bailed out with Black*Star through a window or something. Wesley was vastly different than Soul; Wes wanted to please all the people all the time, even if it meant he wasn't really pleased himself. So when Will had died, Soul hadn't really been **completely** surprised that his brother ran off to get married. Wes was finally free of the one person keeping him under lock and key in a practice room, after all.

Another thing was that Wes took pride in making his own money using his violin and never taking the money his parents offered to him.

Thus, Masumi and Soul weren't necessarily surprised when his response to Spirit's remark resulted in Wesley punching him right in the jaw. Maka let out a surprised gasp while Masumi grinned a bit. "Ah, I'm so proud you two inherited my powerful right hook," She mused happily.

Soul blinked a few times. "Wait, you're right hook? Father always said-"

"Oh please! You're father couldn't punch a pillow and ruffled the pillowcase even if he had wanted to! He could sure talk a big game but when you got right down to it he was a total pus- pushover!" She coughed out nervously. Soul's eyes widened at this while Spirit wiped at his, finding his nose bleeding from hitting the ground rather roughly. Wes had resumed his anxious pacing.

"Mom, were you going to say pu-"

"Pussycats are just adorable, don't you think, Soul?"

"Oh, my God! You totally were going to call Father a pu-"

"Soul, please! I said 'pushover!' And don't use that filthy word!" Masumi tutted lightly, pinning him with a look. He merely grinned.

"Uh, you guys, my Papa is kinda bleeding over there. Do either of you have some tissues or something?" Maka asked gently. She was ignored.

"Don't use it because you don't want to admit you were going to use it?" He said cheekily. Her cheeks flushed to life.

"I was **not**!"

"You so **were**!"

"**Not**!"

"**Were**!"

"Um, you guys, my Papa…"

"**Soul Cornelius Evans**, you stop that **right now**!" There was silence at that as Maka turned her attention to her now stunned fiancé. She started snorting with laughter.

"Your middle name is Cornelius?" She chortled out lightly, covering her mouth with her hand. He blushed brightly at this.

"Don't you have an embarrassing middle name too?" He asked with a small growl. She giggled and shook her head.

"Nope. Both my parents are Japanese, and the Japanese don't typically give their children middle names," She said with a shrug. He tilted his head.

"Is that so?"

"Totally the truth, Cornelius,"

"Don't call me-"

"Hello everybody," Stein said as he walked out. He tugged his mask down and smiled at them. Wes was staring at him with wide eyes. "Come along, Wesley. You get to see them first, since you are the father." He mused before leading the other male along. Wes turned into his shadow in a matter of seconds. A little while later, Soul and Maka had both loved getting to hold their first nephew; it made Soul excited for when he and Maka could have a few children of their own.

However, there was no joy right now as he stood at the register of McBurger Queen. Soul had never thought it possible to hate one thing so much but he really **loathed** this place. He loathed the macaroni colored polyester uniform with the stupid matching visor bearing the restaurant symbol like a crest of lameitude. He loathed his co-workers, who were either high school drop-outs or just pretentious dicks who seemed to think this was the best job available. He loathed the customers that would give him attitude if one little thing was off about their meal.

It made him wish he could punch them, though that would cost him his shitty job.

'_Why am I the one who ended up getting stuck with the shit job? I mean, even Black*Star has a better job than I do! Then again, he had to move to Japan to get it,'_ He thought with a small sigh. He perked up, noticing that one of the trays beside his register was ready. He checked the ticket and then called out, "Order ready for a James!"

The customer came over and started looking at the food. "Hey, we ordered a double bacon cheeseburger!" He snapped angrily. Soul checked the ticket and put on his best sympathetic expression.

"Sorry about that, sir. I'll have one ready for you immediately," He said politely. The other male scoffed and glared at him, picking up the tray and chucking the burger at him. It unraveled and some mustard smeared on Soul's uniform top.

"Yeah, you better," He snarled while storming off. Soul glared and rolled his eyes before turning and hounding one of his co-workers for not reading the damn ticket right. After giving the customer his fixed meal his manager approached him.

"You got a call from your girlfriend in the office," His manager said with a jerk of his thumb toward the door. Soul was too tired to correct him and simply headed to the office calmly.

"Hey, Maka. What's up?" He asked with a tired sigh, running a hand over his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. He made a small noise to confirm he would survive and that she was to continue. "After work, head over to the karaoke club instead of the house, okay? We're all gather here since your mother's boss is here looking over those documents from when Mosquito stole the restaurant."

"I thought none of that mattered now," Soul said flatly, "since it's nothing but a vacant lot now?"

"He found a loophole we can still use to get the land back. Plus, we have an ace in the whole now," She said. Soul blinked, his heart thrumming faster. For the first time in months, Maka's voice was sounding as excited as it used to get. Losing the restaurant had ripped some of her usual jovial attitude right out of her and its sudden return had his hope fluttering back to life.

"What's different now?"

"We have Mosquito's wife, Lady Arachne, giving us a little assistance,"

…

Soul ran home after getting off work to change and then headed straight to the karaoke club. The closed sign was posted but Chrona unlocked the door, pushed it open and invited him in meekly. He immediately looked around at who all was here. Kid and Liz were sitting at one table, both still clad in their uniforms, with Patty. Medusa was seated at the bar near the register with another woman. The woman had long black hair, luminous violet orbs that seemed to have a silvery spider web pattern within them and a body that seemed designed to make any man weak in the knees. Maka was seated with Masumi, Wes and Blair holding Masun at the largest table that could seat six people at it.

Next to his mother was a man wearing a black business suit and a large brown bear head with a large toothy grin. Soul blinked a few times; the bear man was still there. He tried blinking and then rubbing his eyes; the bear man was, again, still present. "Have I just finally snapped or is there really a bear man in this room?" He asked loudly while pointing one shaky hand at him. All heads turned to him and his mother smiled suddenly, motioning him over.

"Sweetie, come meet my boss! This is Tezca Tlipoca, one of the greatest legal minds of this generation!" Masumi beamed eagerly, gesturing with her hands. The other let out a small laugh and rubbed the back of his animal head.

"Aw, Masu, you're too kind!" He stated happily. Soul's eye twitched a bit at the nickname the other male used on his mother but let it pass. The two shook hands and Soul settled into a seat next to Maka. "So, I assume we shall get to business, right?" He asked while settling back himself. He lightly tapped the papers back into a nice neat stack.

"Thanks for looking at these documents for us, by the way," Soul stated politely. The other male nodded and Soul took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. "So… What have you come up with?"

"Well, Mosquito has this contract written in a way that his wife can technically sell the property that was once Ace of Hearts," Tezca stated while holding up one finger. He held up a second one. "However, it is clearly written that nobody bearing the name of Albarn can make an offer for the land. Luckily enough, it is on the market currently and Arachne is willing to sell it. So, Mr. Evans, you could quite possibly purchase the land and have the Ace of Hearts rebuilt if you so desired."

"When my younger sister here told me what Mosquito had done upon hearing I had cheated on him with Spirit I was rather appalled and eager to help," The dark haired woman stated calmly, gesturing to Medusa with one hand. She then looked back at Soul, who stared at her in wide eyed surprise. No wonder Spirit had slept with this woman; she was a ten on the sex-appeal scale! He then looked back at Tezca worriedly.

"But we don't have that kind of money anymore; we aren't right anymore. We can't afford to buy that land; Hell, I just finished paying off all my father's debts a few months ago! I can't dig myself back in the hole!" He sighed sadly, bowing his head in shame. Maka set her hand on his shoulder and he glanced up, finding her looking at him with a glassy eyed smile.

"But I have the money for it," She said delicately. He blinked then tilted his head in confusion. "My mother had a life insurance policy and my father has yet to claim it; I remember him telling me a few years ago that he felt taking that money when we didn't need it and essentially profiting from my mother's death just felt wrong to him. My name is also listed as one of the beneficiaries on the policy, meaning that I can at least collect my half. And, according to my calculations, it should be just enough for the land." She said, voice becoming thick with her joy.

"And I'm willing to lend you the money you'll need to have the restaurant rebuilt and everything; I know you'll pay me back once you can," Blair said cheerfully. She nuzzled Masun eagerly and cooed at him lightly. "Masun wants Mommy to do such a nice thing, doesn't he? Yes he does!" She giggled, answered by adorable little squeals of joy from the infant.

Soul looked back at Maka and she took both of his hands. "This is the best option we're going to get and I think we should go for it. Well, Soul? What do you think?" She whispered and he could tell she was holding her breath. She wanted to make sure he was absolutely on board for their plan.

He grinned and pulled her close. "I think that you and I have a few errands we need to run as soon as possible," He said cheekily.

…

Mosquito was smiling to himself in deep pride as he awaited the arrival of the individuals who had agreed to take this property off his hands. His wife, Arachne, had met them through her sister and already gotten their signatures. He just wanted to thank them personally for taking the burdensome property off his hands. Considering he had earned his revenge against Spirit Albarn, the land was no longer a necessity and he had enjoyed having it as a trophy long enough.

A taxi pulled over and he smiled lightly as the door slipped open. He frozen when out stepped Soul Evans and Maka Albarn, both smirking at him in a way that proved the wool had been pulled over his eyes. "Hello, Mosquito. How have you been?" Soul asked with a clear haughty tone to his voice.

"You… She is an Albarn! She cannot purchase this land!" He snapped angrily. Soul smirked wider at this, his teeth glinting like a demon waiting to strike.

"Actually, she's an Evans now. She and I went to the court house two days ago and tied the knot; therefore, her name is no longer something you can refuse us on," He remarked. Mosquito blinked then chuckled deeply and shook his head.

"Well, well. It appears you have vested me this time; I will, however, see to it that I get back at you someday," He laughed before heading over to the black limo he'd arrived in. Maka and Soul watched him go, staying silent until the limo was well gone.

"That went better than expected," Soul commented. He then looked back over at Maka curiously. "Sorry about us having to go to the court house. We can have an actual wedding soon though; I promise." He said delicately.

Maka smiled and hugged him tightly. "I don't care either way, Soul. As long as we're happy with where we're out I'm fine with whatever," She said happily, tucking her head under his chin. He smiled lightly and held her closely.

End

Next Chapter:

Epilogue time~!


	13. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Also, if you want to borrow any of my OCs, drop me a PM and we can discuss it~!

Epilogue Time~!

It was surprising how quickly seven years had slipped past for Soul and Maka. They ended up having the wedding ceremony they'd always wanted. In the end, it was still a very modest and tasteful celebration. Plus they were blessed with Tsubaki and Black*Star flying out and attending; something they were only half expecting. It was funny for them to think that now the other two were raising up a crop of (so far) three energetic little boys.

The biggest accomplishment had to be their new restaurant, cleverly called Two of Hearts, being more successful than its mother model.

Liz chuckled a bit as she monitored how things were going in the back. With Soul and Maka in charge, they had offered manager positions to a few of their old co-workers. It was funny for her to think about, really, because she felt so much more at ease with how things went around the restaurant now. Kid was in charge of retail, she was one of the managers assigned to the front, partnered with Kim's assistance, and Ox had offered to take care of the grill line and the bussers. Maka was the manager who typically handled the hiring, financing and helping out the hostesses/hosts when she was on the clock. Tsubaki and Black*Star, despite being offered positions, decided to stay in Japan; it had been a painful rejection but they all respected their decision. Meanwhile, Soul was a Jack of all trades and took his fair share handling everything.

Liz turned her eyes downward and grinned at the simply silver band on her finger. About six months after Maka and Soul tied the knot, a very flustered and nervous Kid had asked for her hand. She agreed, saying that she would "spice his life up in ways he never thought possible," and she swore to this day he nearly fainted at those words.

So far they had one set of twins, both age six, and a two year old little boy.

"Liz, stop daydreaming and start running some of these trays! These tickets are hitting the red area and we do not allow that under any circumstances!" Soul snapped suddenly from his perch behind the grill. His hair was tucked up in a cap, which normally got him teased by the blonde. She let it go this time and picked a tray, checking the ticket, before heading over and picking it up.

'_He's probably just nervous and pissy because Maka had to go see the doctor today to make sure the baby is growing well,'_ Liz reasoned to herself as she headed out. She handed the dishes out happily, thanked the guests for stopping in and offered to get them condiments they needed. After being politely turned down she headed out. _'Oh, and I need to call Maka to make sure the kids aren't driving her crazy; although Kid should be picking them up shortly. I know she offered to baby sit while Kid went grocery shopping and everything but I don't want them stressing her out while she's pregnant.'_ She thought worriedly as she headed back to the kitchen area.

In regards to children, everyone was doing pretty well. Patty and Chrona, who had wed about two years ago, had a little thirteen month old girl they coddled all the time. She had been gifted with Patty's blonde hair and, in some strange sort of twist, the bright honey colored eyes of her paternal grandmother. Because of this, Chrona and Patty decided to name her Rachel Medusa Gorgon, as a tribute to the grandmother who had helped make sure Patty took good care of herself. Medusa, having been eagerly awaiting the day she had grandchildren to spoil and fuss over, was living it up with the new parents like there was no tomorrow. Patty and Chrona had taken charge of Medusa's karaoke club so that she could start thinking about retiring (so that she could play nanny to any and all other grandchildren she received, she explained).

Liz and Kid had three children so far, though they were planning on eight (part because of Kid's OCD and part because Liz really wanted a big family). Lilith was the elder of the twins and she was a bossy little girl. She had inherited her father's dark hair and gold eyes yet she did not have the three right stripes in her hair; this made Liz call fowl while Kid still protested it was all natural on him. Lilith was the biggest little Mommy's girl you would ever meet; when she knew she was about to get in trouble, she'd go flutter her lashes at Liz and make all sorts of cute expression to try and sweeten her up. Admittedly, her mother had fallen for it on a few occasions.

Her twin brother, Clyde, was similar to her in that he was vocal but he was not nearly as bossy as she. Clyde had his mother's dirty blonde hair and also had her bright cerulean orbs. He could hold his own in a battle of verbal combat with his sister but he could not best another girl they knew. Liz had a growing suspicion he had a crush on said girl, but kept it to herself. Also, in opposite of his sister, Clyde was a total Daddy' boy. Whenever he could, he was spending time with Kid and asking him all sorts of things. It always made her grin when Kid would smile, pick their son up, and gently show him how to do things; she lucked out with a hunky family man in the end!

Lastly was their two year old, Ethan. Ethan had his father's dark hair with the three stripes (this had earned his mother an "I told you so!") but he had the baby blues of his mother. He was, so far, a clingy little guy who needed lots of attention. He loved it when Liz would hold him and coddle him, giving him all of her attention. Since he was in his terrible two's, noncompliance was met with enthusiastic hissy fits and crying. Liz did, however, hope that he'd level out once his third birthday crept past in a few months.

Next was the situation with the Evans family.

Wes and Blair had one more little boy about three years after Masun and ended up naming him Casanova. The reason behind that? He looked like a little male version of his mother and she claimed he'd someday be a heartbreaker like she always had been. Things were good with them and, according to Soul, he and Wes were getting along a lot better these days. He said the kids had probably helped in normalize the once overly-chipper Wesley.

The next big thing was what happened with their parents. Masumi was currently dating her boss, Tezca Tlipoca, and things were good there. They were thinking about retiring and renting a condo in Texas by the beach. Spirit Albarn, much to everyone's shock and slight horror, was now remarried. He had ended up getting hitched with none other than Yumi Azusa. The two were currently touring Europe with plans to come back in about two months to assure they'd be here when Maka gave birth.

And then there were the two Evans brats themselves; Yuki (1) and Gregory (2).

Yuki Evans was a six year old with a fiery attitude like her mother. She had inherited the Evans powdery hair, jagged shark teeth and the ruby orbs; they jokingly said this made her a force to be reckoned with. Yuki was the kind of girl who could take charge and whip bossy girls like Lilith around with the flick of her little wrist. She was far from a tyrant, though; she simply had her mother's sharp mind and silver tongue. For these reasons, Liz had a hunch her oldest boy was rather infatuated with the silver haired cutie pie.

Next was her four year old little brother, Gregory Evans. He had his mother's ashy blonde hair, his father's red eyes, normal human teeth and also his father's aloof attitude. Greggie, as everyone affectionately called him, was almost the perfect combination of his parents. He inherited his mother's love of learning, literature and life. He also had his father's keen musical insight, relaxed personality and taste for stating things bluntly. There had been many a time where his words had gotten him in serious trouble with his parents and other children's parents.

And now Maka was pregnant again.

"I should probably put another fifty dollars on the bet of her having twins," She mumbled as she set down the tray and checked the grill line again. It appeared that things were fine and the server's were handling it fine on their own. She turned to head to the office to make the call but was stopped by the hostess on duty.

She was a sweet college kid that Liz had hired just about one week ago, since she was handling that all while Maka was on her maternity leave. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you but I have a small problem. Two people came in with a few children and just walked right to the third dining room," She said nervously. Liz blinked in surprise and then looked at the clock quickly; huh, it was already almost one o'clock! "And there aren't any servers stationed back there… And the guy went right into the vestibules and got a high chair for one of the little kids and they just got themselves all settled at the big round and a four right by it! I-I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen!" She was frantic and had paled considerably.

A hand settled on her shoulders and Liz grinned lightly. "Don't worry about it; those two work here. Actually, one of them is Maka Evans and the other is my husband. They brought our families to join Soul and I for our lunch break and Jeanette already agreed to take care of us," She said delicately. When they had cut the floor about ten minutes ago Jeanette said she'd switch with another co-worker who needed the hours. As a deal, Liz told her to handle their family lunch time and she'd let her stay on clock until they were done.

Needless to say, having more hours and getting generously tipped (since her manager's knew what it was like to be in her place) sounded pretty sweet to her.

"Oh. Uh, well then… Uh… Sorry to have bothered you," She mumbled nervously, rubbing the back of her head lightly. Liz gave her a pat on the shoulder and a large goofy grin.

"It's okay; you're just doing your job. Keep up the good work," She said cheerfully. The other girl blinked then grinned brightly and nodded excitedly. She then darted off to tend to the hostess podium. Liz then turned away and looked at Soul. "Hey, shark boy! It's lunch time!" She snapped over the grill line.

Soul glanced over then grinned brightly. "Hell yes! Kim and Ox, you two okay for a while?" He called over to the other two managers.

"We'll be fine Evans. Now, you two, go spend some time with your babies and spouses!" Kim chided with a roll of her eyes. She was smiling, however, so they knew she wasn't being mean. Soul ditched the apron and hair net in one of the bins kept by the entrance to the supply closet and then darted out to the third dining room with Liz.

Maka was settled into one of the chairs on the outside, her chair pushed back a bit because of her swollen abdomen. Yuki was settled in beside her, one hand placed on her mother's stomach and the other resting on the top of the table for balance. Gregory was standing on his booster seat and leaning over on the table, both hands on the wooden surface of the table. Yuki suddenly squealed and giggled loudly. "I felt it that time!" She said, looking between her mother and her stomach with eager eyes.

"No way!" Greggie protested with a small scowl on his features. Soul smiled as he walked over and picked the young boy up. He looked up, grinning lightly at his father, while Soul set him on his chair correctly and got him all buckled in. Yuki giggled and plopped back down in her own seat while her parents smooched their greetings.

"So what did the doctor say?" Soul asked happily as he sat down. Liz was also greeting her kids; little Ethan was already clinging to her like a baby monkey.

"He said that everything looks good so far," Maka mused happily. She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear calmly. "He says that, according to the ultrasound, it looks like we're having another little girl-"

"Looks like I just won some money from the betting pool! Take that, Evans!" Kid scoffed proudly, cutting Maka off. The pregnant blonde rolled her eyes, Soul glared in annoyance and Liz snapped her fingers in disappointment.

"Actually, Mister Kid, you didn't let Mommy finish," Gregory said in his most diplomatic tone of voice. Soul snickered at his son's attempt at sounding older than his four years actually indicated. "Yuki and I are going to have a baby sister **and** a baby brother."

Both men fell silent while Liz released a loud, proud howl of delight. "I so totally called it! That money is going right to the college fund~!" She cheered loudly. Maka laughed and shook her head before looking at the stunned Soul Evans seated across from her.

"Twins?" He asked softly, eyes wide in either wonder or horror. She smiled at him and nodded cheerfully.

"Looks like we'll have some shopping to do this week. After all, we'll need to repaint the nursery a neutral color that appeals to both genders," Maka mused lightly. She tapped her chin in deep thought. "Normally people go with the color yellow from what I was able to research."

"We should paint the room orange!" Gregory chimed in helpfully. Yuki made a face at him as if he'd sprouted another head.

"Ew! Orange is an icky color! The room should be painted green!" She argued back. Gregory glared back at her.

"**Green** is the icky color; it's the color of barf!"

"Ew! Mommy, Greggie's talking about barfing and other icky stuff at the table!" Yuki whined loudly. Maka set to trying to settle the pair down while Soul, finally realizing what was going on with his family, fainted out from a sensory overload.

"Hello th- Um, Liz," Jeanette trailed as she walked over. She had a tray in one hand, her order book on top of it, and the other held her pen. She was currently staring at the comatose male on the floor. "I mean, I may be totally ignorant here, but why is Soul passed out on the floor?" She was answered by laughter from the Thompson family and a mere smile from Maka.

It was just another typical day at the restaurant, all in all.

End

(1) Yuki – For those who don't know, the name Yuki is Japanese for snow. When I was designing her character I went through a lot of various appearances (hairstyles, eye colors, teeth, etc..) but I never changed her hair color once. Through this I decided to whip a dead horse and make use of a very popular Japanese name. Hope you all don't mind too much~!

(2) Gregory – Okay, so this was a little bit more of a funny story, really. If you have ever watched the popular medical drama _House,_ you know the main character played by Hugh Laurie named Gregory House. My sister and I were watching House, making jokes and saying character names in funny ways, when I remembered his name was Gregory. This in turn made me think "Grigori"; the type of soul Maka has in the canon series. Thus, I decided the pair would have a little boy named Gregory as a tribute to his Momma.

Final notes~!:

So, I didn't really know how I wanted to end this. And then, after finishing it, I had all these ideas for funny stories involving the kids but decided I would hold off for two reasons. One, I didn't want to drag this story on with random fluff and I knew damn well I was not going to figure out another dramatic plot to make work for this. Second, I kinda like the way I wrapped this one up.

Thank you to every single one of you who read, reviewed, or favorite this story. I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did and look forward to entertaining you all again in my future works (my next story will be uploaded in five days), should you all decide to bless me with your reviews and attention again.

I am sincerely and humbly grateful for everything you all gave me as I wrote this. :3


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